Aeonium leucoblepharum

Description

Aeonium leucoblepharum is a succulent flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae. The pointed leaves have a strong central stripe, and they may develops pinkish colour on exposure to strong sunlight. There are variants with less pointed leaves but still with the central stripe. The flowers are yellow, 7- to 10-merous, with petals 6 – 8 x 1.8 – 2.5 mm. The species is native to mountains in Yemen and north-eastern Africa, from Ethiopia and Somalia to Kenya and Uganda. It is also known as Sempervivum leucoblepharum and Sempervivum chrysanthum. Aeonium, the tree houseleeks, is a genus of about 35 species of succulent, subtropical plants of the family Crassulaceae. Many species are popular in horticulture. The genus name comes from the ancient Greek "αιώνιος"/"aionios" (ageless). While most of them are native to the Canary Islands, some are found in Madeira, Cape Verde, Morocco, in East Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya) and Yemen. The succulent leaves are typically arranged on a basal stem, in a dense, spreading rosette. A feature which distinguishes this genus from many of its relatives is the manner in which the flowers bear free petals, and are divided into 6 or 12 sections. Each rosette produces a central inflorescence only once, and then dies back (though it will usually branch or offset to produce ensuing rosettes). Low-growing Aeonium species are A. tabuliforme and A. smithii; large species include A. arboreum, A. valverdense and A. holochrysum. They are related to the genera Sempervivum, Aichryson and Monanthes, as can be seen by their similar flower and inflorescences. Recently, the genus Greenovia has been placed within Aeonium. Most aeoniums are from the Canary Islands,  but some are from Madeira, Cape Verde, Morocco, Yemen and East Africa : Ethiopia (for example in the Semien Mountains), Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. Some species have been introduced in California.