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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Crassulaceae (Stonecrops) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Summer |
| Height: <1 foot |
| Width: Spreading |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Echeveria prolifica (Prolific Echeveria) - A small clustering Echeveria with rosettes of silvery-green leaves that are just over 1 inch across but offsetting abundantly and spreading by stolons to form dense low mats. In early spring and sometimes until summer appear the small open campulate flowers with short broad (for the genus) yellow petals that are held in compact clusters at the end of decumbant 6 to 10 inch long stems. These inflorescences also have thick leafy bracts that fall off and root easily. Plant in full to part sun in coastal gardens but make sure to provide some light shade inland. Likes a well-drained soil with occasional irrigation in spring into summer. Hardy to 15 to 20 F. This plant offsets and self propagates itself rapidly to form a dense cover that makes a nice small scale ground cover or companion plant to larger plants in a large pot. But use care digging around or moving potted specimens as they will seem to explode when jarred, dropping propagules everywhere in their wake. As John Pilbeam notes in The Genus Echeveria this is an "extraordinarily prolific (hence the name) species". This plant was first described as a new species by Reid Moran and Jorge Meyranin in 1978 in the Cactus and Succulent Society of American Journal Volume 50 No. 6 where they note that the type plant was purchased by Jorge Meyran and Felipe Otero in 1969 at a small roadside nursery at Venta Grande, near the borders of the Mexican States of Hidalgo and Puebla. The vendor told them that it had originally been collected in a barranca just to the north but this location has never been found. Plants propagated from this original collection were distributed by the International Succulent Institute (ISI) in 1983 (ISI#1388) and it is believed that all plants in the horticultural trades can be traced back to this single accession. The flowers of this species and the related Echeveria amoena are considered unique within Echeveria and studies on the genetics of these two suggest a relationship to the genus Cremnophila, a small genus with 2 plants, one C. linguifolia that was originally an Echeveria species and C. nutans that originally was a Sedum. This fantastic plant came to us from Santa Barbara plantsman John Bleck - it propagates so well that we had to start selling it, lest it take over the nursery!
This information about Echeveria prolifica displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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