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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Crassulaceae (Stonecrops) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Red/Purple Foliage: Yes |
| Flower Color: Orange & Pink |
| Bloomtime: Fall/Winter |
| Synonyms: [E. 'Red Frills', Hort.] |
| Height: 1-2 feet |
| Width: 1-2 feet |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Drought Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation: Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Echeveria 'Mauna Loa' - A large clustering plant that produces 1 to 2 foot wide cabbage like rosettes on stout stems 12 to 18 inches tall with broad spoon-shaped leaves that are a pale green when young developing into pink tinted gray-green leaves that are narrowed at the base and have a very wavy frilly apex. Still older leaves are often flushed red and have bumpy wart like lumps called carunculations. In fall into winter it forms a tall branching inflorescence with slightly nodding orange pink flowers. Plant in full coastal sun to light shade in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally and try to avoid water in the center of the rosette of the plant – brighter light brings out the gray and purples in the foliage. Cold hardy for short duration temperatures down into the mid 20s° F, but best protected from frost. Cut rosettes and reroot when stems to too long and top heavy but keep the rooted base to allow it to resprout - best to do this in spring to allow a full season of growth prior to cooler temperatures of winter. This complex hybrid created in the 1980s by Dick Wright of Fallbrook, California is noted to have the naturally occurring Echeveria gibbiflora 'Carunculata' in its parentage. Eric Walther called this parent plant Echeveria grandiflolia 'Blister-leaf' and it has also been know as Echeveria gibbiflora var. metallica cv. 'Carunculata'. This cultivar was named for the still active Hawaiian volcano Mauna Loa located on the Big Island of Hawaii and is the largest of "Volcano Series" that also includes 'Barbillion' and 'Etna', with the later likely the result of crossing the other two and created by Wright's friend Denise Manley. In youth 'Mauna Loa appears to me more of the "frilly" type of Echeveria with large flat leaves pinkish gray leaves that crinkle and frill at the edges but with age this cultivar takes on deeper reddish color and develops the odd lumps and bumps that are called carunculations. In Rudolf (Lorraine) Schulz and Attila Kapitany's book Echeveria Cultivars they state that "This is possibly one of the most spectacular of all echeveria hybrids". They also note that its form can "vary dramatically under different environmental conditions" with some plants remaining frilly while other develop more cranunculations and that in Australia this plant has been listed as 'Red Frills'. For more information and tips on growing this plant see what Ruth Bancroft curator Brian Kemble says about this cultivar at Ruth's Tips. The genus Echeveria was named to honor Mexican botanical artist Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy in 1828 by the French botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (DeCandolle) who was very impressed with Echeverría's drawings. Echeverría had accompanied the the Sessé and Mociño expedition (led by Martin de Sessé y Lacasta and Mariano Mociño Suárez de Figueroa) while exploring Mexico and northern Central America and had produced thousands of botanical illustrations. The genus Echeveria is a member of the large Crassula family (Crassulaceae), which has about 1,400 species in 33 genera with worldwide distribution. Echeveria, with approximately 180 species, are native to mid to higher elevations in the Americas with the main distribution in Mexico and central America but with one species found from as far north as southern Texas and several species occurring as far south as Bolivia, Peru and possibly Argentina. The book "The genus Echeveria" by John Pilbeam (published by the British Cactus and Succulent Society, 2008) is an excellent source of information on the species and "Echeveria Cultivars" by Lorraine Schulz and Attila Kapitany (Schulz Publishing, 2005) has beautiful photos and great information on the cultivars and hybrids. It has been argued by some that the correct pronunciation for the genus is ek-e-ve'-ri-a, though ech-e-ver'-i-a seems in more prevalent use in the US. Image courtesy of Rancho Tissue Technologies.
This description of Echeveria 'Mauna Loa' is based on our research and our observations of this plant growing in the nursery, in our own garden and in other gardens. We would appreciate getting feedback of any kind from those who have any additional information about this plant, particularly if they disagree with what we have written.
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