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Hechtia marnier-lapostollei - A silver foliaged terrestrial bromeliad that forms a rounded cluster of tight rosettes about one foot wide that have very thick recurved and hard silvery gray leaves with prominent showy teeth. The leaves are covered with a white coating of hairs called trichomes that are densest when grown in bright light. In spring a 2-foot spike arises bearing light pink flowers - Hechtia are dioecious with male and female flowers on separate plants and our plants, all grown originally from one stock plant are all male.
Plant in full to part sun (brightest light maintains best silver color) and irrigate only occasionally. Has proven hardy to at least 25° F. A very ornamental plant in the ground or in a nice pot.
Hechtia marnier-lapostollei comes from the Yautepec region of Oaxaca. The genus is named by the German botanist Johann Friedrich Klotzsch, who was curator and later director of the Royal Herbarium in Berlin for Julius Gottfried Conrad Hecht (1771–1837), another German botanist and a counselor to the King of Prussia. The specific epithet honors Julien Marnier-Lapostolle, and avid botanist who maintained and enhanced the world renowned succulent botanic garden Les Cedres that was started in 1924 by his father, Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle, on property that once belonged to King Leopold II of Belgium. Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle also was the founder the Grand Marnier liqueur company. Another terrestrial bromeliad named for him is Dyckia marnier-lapostollei.
Our plants are all divisions from one male plant and was the pollinator used in the cross with Hechtia argentea to create our introduction Hechtia 'Silver Star'.
This information about Hechtia marnier-lapostollei 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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