Echeveria??

by Laurie Elgin
(Okeechobee, FL)

I got this plant from my sister. I am pretty sure it is Echeveria, but can not determine anything further on the proper name of the plant. Grows on a short stem and it blooms, I only have a picture of the dried stem…any further help would be appreciated.

Hi Laurie, this is not an Echeveria, although closely related. This is the Ghost Plant of Mexico, or Graptopetalum.

They are in fact so closely related that sometimes they hybridize with Echeveria, in which case the resulting plants are identified with an ‘x’ before them, to indicate an intergeneric cross – most hybrid plants are interspecies crosses.

Check the aged flowers; maybe they have seed pods that could germinate into your very own new hybrid.

They are one of the most beautiful plants with the thick pruinose, or waxy coating that they have.

When happy and healthy (like yours) the ‘bloom’ (pruinose) covers the entire plant; as you may have found, it wears off when the plant is handled; luckily, in time it replaces it. The purpose of the coating is to help protect the plant from intense sun exposure in it’s natural habitat.

Enjoy your lovely plant in full morning sun with a bit of shade for the hot afternoons, and ample watering, then allowing to dry out before the next drink.

See more succulent care tips here.

Happy Succulent Gardening!
Jacki

Comments for Echeveria??

Apr 25, 2016 Thanks by: Armit Just wanted to say thank you. I finally know I have aGraptopeyalum paraguayanse. I’ve had it for years but never knew what it was until I came upon your website. It’s flowering again this spring. Thank you.

Aug 26, 2020 Is this an Echeveria? by: Rebecca Zirkelbach Im struggling to find out just what this is & how to save it. I took it out of the soil it came in & repotted it in soil I bought especially for succulents.