About
Aeonium balsamiferum is a succulent subshrub that can reach heights of 1.2 to 1.5 meters. It features robust, pale grey-brown branches topped with rosettes that have a diameter of approximately 20 centimeters. These rosettes consist of spoon-shaped leaves that are sticky to the touch and emit a balsam fragrance, displaying a pale green hue and pointed tips. In late spring, mature specimens produce flower panicles measuring between 15 and 25 centimeters, adorned with numerous pale yellow blooms.
About the genus
Aeonium consists of evergreen succulents that typically grow in a shrubby form. They feature thick leaves arranged in rosettes at the tips of their branches. During blooming, these plants produce clusters of small, star-like flowers characterized by their slender petals.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H1C
Plant details
- Plant type
- Cactus Succulent, Conservatory Greenhouse, Houseplants
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants, Sub-tropical
- Native to
- Lanzarote, Cape Verde Is.
- Fragrance
- Foliage
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow under glass in a cool or temperate greenhouse or conservatory or as a houseplant in filtered light, in a standard cactus compost (or peat-free, John Innes No 2 with an added third of extra grit or fine gravel) and allow it to dry out almost completely between waterings; for more advice see houseplant cacti and succulent cultivation
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, sown at 19-24°C in spring (it does not reproduce readily from seed) or take rosette stem-tip softwood cuttings in early summer; wait until calluses have formed, then insert in sandy compost and in moderate light at 18°C, and keep just moist until rooted
- Pest resistance
- May susceptible to aphids and mealybugs
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free