Hechtia 'Oaxaca' - A terrestrial bromeliad that forms a 2-foot-tall cluster of 12 to 18 inch wide rosettes with rigid silver white leaves that have regularly spaced spines along the margin.
Plant in full sun to light shade in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently.
This plant was grown from seed collected in 2015 near Benito Juarez east of Oaxaca City in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. It is possibly the wide ranging Hechtia sphaeroblasta but Hechtia conzattiana, Hechtia galeottii and Hechtia podantha are all gray leafed species that are also in Oaxaca, so are possibilities as well. Our seeding plants have yet to flower and we will wait for them to do so before attempting to identify these plants to the specific level.
The genus was named to honor Julius Gottfried Conrad Hecht (1771-1837), a counselor to the King of Prussia. The specific epithets from the Greek words 'sphaira' meaning "a sphere" and 'blasta' meaning "to bud" or "sprout", likely in reference to the rounded rosettes.
The information about Hechtia 'Oaxaca' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include 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 we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |