In our continuing quest for sempervivums that are both completely cold hardy, but also tolerant of southern California heat, this is the first of two offerings that have made the cut for this year. This is a charming miniature form of the common S. arachnoideum with tightly clustering clumps of rosettes barely 1 cm across, perfect for filling rock crevices as they do in their native habitats in the mountains of Europe. Unlike the larger subsp. tomentosum, this does not retain its namesake cobweb-like tomentum stretching from leaf tip to leaf tip. This is only present in the tiny new rosettes and soon wears away leaving just a patch of stubble at the leaf tips barely visible without magnification. Therefore, the rosettes are exposed to light and tend to blush red, especially in winter. Divisions of HBG 134248, from Uhlig’s nursery in Germany. $8.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 90 (2), Summer 2018