Basic Literatur

Fig. 54. Echeveria affinis, (top) flowering plant, (bottom) inflorescence.

Echeveria affinis sp. nov.

Pertinens Ser. Amoenis*; E. craigianae affinis; caulibus brevissimis; foliis numerosis, rosulatis, oblanceolatis, acuminatis, ad 5 cm. longis, 2 cm. latis, brunneis; pedunculis ad 15 cm. altis; ramis 3-5, cymosis, nec paniculatis; pedicellis ad 8 mm. longis; sepalis adpressis; corollis 10 mm. longis, rubris.

Type: CAS: 403156. Mexico, without definite locality, collected by Mr. R. Flores (UC: 54/ 1241).

Occurrence: Mexico.

Fig. 55 Echeveria affinis

a. side-view of corolla x 2

b. basal view of calyx x 2

c. inside of petal x 2

d. apex of petal x 8

e. carpels x 2

f. nectary, front-view x 16

g. nectary, side-view x 16

h. leaf x 0.4

hh. leaf, cross-section x 0.4

hhh. leaf, side-view x 0.4

i. bract x 2

Description: (from living plant grown in the Strybing Arboretum, Golden Gate Park, S. F., in 1956). Stem very short, mostly simple; rosettes dense; leaves numerous, oblanceolate, shortly acuminate, to 5 cm. long and 2 cm. broad, strongly convex beneath, almost flat above, somewhat upcurved above middle; inflorescences 2 to 3, to 15 cm. tall; peduncle erect, its bracts few, oblong, acute, to 2 cm. long, ascending-spreading; inflorescence a flat-topped cyme with 3 to 5 spreading branches and no elongated central axis, each branch with 5 to 7 flowers; pedicels 8 mm. long; sepals appressed, subequal, ovate-deltoid to oblong-lanceolate, turgid, acute, tips somewhat incurved; corolla urceolate-campanulate, bluntly pentagonal, 10 mm. long, to 8 mm. in diameter at the spreading petal-tips; petals with small, but definite basal hollow within and apiculate tips; stamens S-9 mm. long; carpels 8 mm. !ong, with slender styles; nectaries 1 mm. wide, narrowly lunate-reniform. Flowers in August.

Color: Leaves brownish-olive, at base cosse-green; peduncle olive-buff to corinthian-red above; bracts lettuce-green, to oil-green at tips; sepals scheele's-green, to light-jasper-red at anthesis; corolla scarlet-red; petals inside eugenia-red; carpels whitish; styles straw-yellow; nectaries straw-yellow.

Remarks: Thanks are due Mr. Paul Hutchison of the University of California Botanic Garden at Berkeley for providing us with living material. The novel species is undoubtedly related to E. craigiana, but differs clearly in its flat, thinner, shorter leaves, it lower inflorescence, distinctly cymose rather than paniculate, etc. The closest similarity is to be found in color of leaves and corolla, in which respects E. affinis, as well as E. craigiana, bear a remarkable resemblance to the Bolivian E. chilonense. The last-mentioned two species come from almost opposite ends of the range of the genus Echeveria, a distance of well over 4,000 miles. However, E. chilonense is amply distinct in having an evident stem, a strongly angular corolla, sepals more spreading above, a weakly spreading peduncle and more elongated pedicels.

In cultivation the stem of this new species may become fasciated, leading to formation of a crest with smaller, crowded leaves.

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*) Series AMOENAE: (Series Paniculatae Berger, pro parte) plantae perglabres; foliis crassis, clavatis, obtusis vel acutis; inflorescentiis cymosis usque ad paniculatis; bracteis numerosis, saepe caducis; pedicellis tenuibus; sepalis adpressis, brevibus vel elongatis; corollis cylindraceis vel campanulatis; petalis tenuibus, vix excavatis; nectariis minoribus, tenuibus. Typus: E. amoena L. de Smet.