Silver succulents - what on earth???

by Karen Lascaris
(Los Angeles, CA)

Black Prince reproducing

Hi! I have two silver succulents are very strange. They're supposed to be the same plant, and were labeled the same when I bought them.

I thought they'd spread to a carpet like hens and chicks, but instead, they've grown strange flowers and branches. One has grown a stalk; the other has three thin shoots.

What is this? Is it a type of Echeveria? will it spread like hens and chicks? If not, what do I do with it? How big will it get???

Also - I have what I thought was a "Black Prince" which seems to be growing the same kind of offshoots from inside the plant, not babies on the outside. Can I pluck them out and plant them elswhere?

What will both these plants look like later on?
Thanks,
Karen

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Jul 19, 2010

The Magic of Reproduction
by: Jacki

Hi Karen,
Some Echeveria, as you may know, tend to grow a single rosette, with very few offsets. Echeveria 'Black Prince' is one that prefers to be solitary.

The other silver one is one I'm not familiar with, but it's definitely an Echeveria. The tall stalks on that one and the tiny buds on the Black Prince are flower stalks, which will extend for a week or two, then orange, pink or peach coloured flowers will emerge as dangling little bells.

In time, you can cut the spent flower stalk off, and the plant will go back to growth stage. The eventual size and appearance of each of them will depend somewhat on your conditions; light exposure (full sun, partial shade) and soil.

As they age, they will get a tall bare stem with a rosette perched on top, which you can cut off, or behead.

Eventually, you can probably grow several and plant them close together to get the hens and chicks look you want, or simply add other species and varieties to your collection that tend to have several smaller rosettes clustered together.

Apr 27, 2011

Succulent ID
by: Surroundx

Hi Karen, the first Echeveria is definitely Echeveria 'chocolate' as we sell them at my nursery. I believe the second may be Echeveria shaviana, but I have never owned one so I can't be sure. Hope this helps.

Apr 27, 2011

More Silver Succulents
by: Anonymous

Hi "Surroundx" and "Jacki",
Thank you both for responding! It's been a year since I posted that question, and I still don't know what species the silver ones are. They are still solitary plants, and I've yet to find another like them. Both they and the Black Prince did indeed bloomed, both with red flowers. I moved the two silver ones closer together last year, and I can tell by the transformation of the leaf shape that they're going to bloom again soon. I also found another version, which I will post a photo of: same color as the silver ones (if not bluer), but this one is multiplying! And, to my surprise (@Jacki) -the Black Prince, which is now much larger, is not a solitary plant, and is growing offshoots as well!
Thank you both again for your comments!

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