Aeonium arboreum atropurpureum or Tree aeonium

Care of the succulent plant Aeonium arboreum atropurpureum or Tree aeonium

The genus Aeonium, of the Crassulaceae family, comprises 75 species of succulent plants native to the Canary Islands (mostly), Madeira, East Africa and Morocco. Some species are: Aeonium arboreum, Aeonium canariense, Aeonium glutinosum, Aeonium mascaense, Aeonium percarneum, Aeonium haworthii, Aeonium undulatum, Aeonium spathulatum, Aeonium sedifolium, Aeonium virgineum.

This plant is the variety "Schwarzkopf" (black head in German) of the Aeonium arboreum.

It's a succulent plant that reaches 1 meter (3.28 feet) high and has large rosettes of leaves at the end of the stem that are black or, in hot climates such as the Mediterranean, purple. They produce small and abundant yellow flowers in conical inflorescences. They bloom from winter to early spring.

They are used in rockeries and in pots as houseplants or on balconies and terraces.

Aeonium arboreum atropurpureum needs full or half-shade exposure. It does not tolerate frost and does not like the cold.

An ideal soil would be a mixture of garden substrate with siliceous sand and leaf mulch.

Water regularly in spring and especially in summer (waiting for the soil to dry between waterings) and almost avoid watering in winter. It is a drought resistant plant.

They do not need pruning or fertilization.

They resist the usual pests well but not the fungal diseases that can appear if there is excess watering or humidity.

They can be propagated by seeds sown in summer or by cuttings by cutting a rosette with a piece of stem (if it has aerial roots better) and rooting it in sand.