r/aeoniums

FINALLY featuring my favourite species, its so beautiful, i am Lucky to have good specimens

Belongs to a relative. Sole surviving cutting of a large individual that got afflicted with rot.Have no idea what it is.

It has grown A LOT

Its floppy and somewhat deformed but its still useful

LOVE how the leaves dried

Its starting to Bloom, im sad that i cant Cross It with some of the species whose blooms have already dried

1- aeonium x praegeri

2- aeonium x praegeri upclose

3- aeonium x bollei

4- aeonium undulatum

5- aeonium saundersii

6- aeonium saundersii flowers

7- very branched smithii i bought

8- another very branched smithii i bought

9- aeonium calderense

I went away from home for 3 days and i came Up to this check u/aevriel 's posts for more information theyre amazing, they have posted pictures of their giganteum in growing season

The largest of the former-greenovias, though ironically one of the only forms which hasn’t yet been botanically recognized. You may also see this plant under the name “Greenovia diplocycla var. gigantea,” however…

1. “Greenovia” were merged into the Aeonium genus decades ago and are considered by most botanical authorities to just be another part of the immense diversity of Aeonium species

and 2) the name was never actually published anywhere, so it isn’t accepted taxonomically. (And personally I think it would be better suited as a subspecies rather than a variety anyways)

‘Giganteum’, like its name suggests, is a gigantic form of Aeonium diplocyclum found in one specific area of the island of La Gomera. If you’ve read Marco Cristini’s Aeonium book, you’d know that he suggests that ‘Giganteum’ is “most likely a hybrid.” This is false, however (and while I think Cristini is an absolute gentleman and appreciate the work he does, if there’s one critique I have it’s that he’s a bit too quick to dismiss unusual wild plants as hybrids). There are no signs of hybridization and, truthfully, it doesn’t make sense considering that ‘Giganteum’ possesses zero traits of any of the other Aeonium species it cohabitates with.

In fact, studies have shown that there are both diploid (two sets of chromosomes) and tetraploid (four sets of chromosomes) forms of Aeonium diplocyclum in the wild, and it is highly likely that ‘Giganteum’ is one of the tetraploids. Tetraploidy is known to cause a form of gigantism in some plants, with there already being precedents in other Aeonium species. Aeonium simsii, for example, also has a larger tetraploid form and smaller diploid form (and also a triploid hybrid form between the two).

I’ve been lucky enough to have someone go locate, observe, and photograph diplocyclum ‘Giganteum’ in habitat for me. The problem with ‘Giganteum’ is that it isn’t entirely isolated from standard diplocyclum in the wild. The further north you go in ‘Giganteum’s’ habitat range, the more the regular diploid form of diplocyclum starts to appear. It makes taxonomic classification messy and difficult. How does one tell the difference between a juvenile diplocyclum ‘Giganteum’ and a mature regular diplocyclum? And what about naturally occurring hybrids between the two? In fact, it’s almost like the wild population of ‘Giganteum’ exist more as a gradient - the largest specimens all appear in one specific area, and the further you move away from that point the smaller the plants seem to become.

Regardless, Aeonium diplocyclum ‘Giganteum’ is a truly stunning plant. I grew mine for six years before it finally bloomed for me. I’ve made a few hybrids of it, and I’m also currently regrowing it from seed produced by my original specimen. There used to be a seed company ran by the botanist who discovered ‘Giganteum’, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on a plant grown from those seeds. However those seeds are no longer offered and most of the specimens I’ve seen labeled as diplocyclum ‘Giganteum’ in cultivation nowadays are branched hybrids (the true plant almost always remains solitary).