This charming little Aeonium hybrid came to us in January, 2003, from Janis Noyes (former owner of Squaw Mountain Gardens in Estacada, OR) as hybrid # 2. Its parentage is uncertain, but its diminutive size (3 cm rosettes, 2 cm when dormant) and flattened, obovate leaves suggest that it includes A. spathulatum. The other parent may be A. sedifolium, as indicated by its small stature, reddish markings on the undersides of the leaves and their glandular pubescence; almost any other species would have yielded a much more robust plant resembling so many garden hybrids of this genus. However, another possible species in the mix is A. lindleyi, the leaves of which are considerably more fleshy but bear similar pubescence. The cultivar name was inspired by the resemblance of the summer-dormant heads to brussels sprouts. A friend’s childhood nickname for that much-maligned vegetable, likening them to little green aliens, rendered them much more palatable. Rooted cuts of HBG 104722, $8.
According to Dr. Arnoldo Santos, of Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias, Aeonium ‘Martian Heads’ ISI 2011-12 is in fact Aeonium saundersii Bolle.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 83 (2), March - April, 2011