Greenovia has been subsumed into Aeonium by many botanists but it is such a distinctive and photogenic group that most succulent collectors have resisted that move. The plants still form a distinct group so one is free to use validly published combinations such as the one used here. They include the more strictly summer dormant representatives of the genus that may resent (i.e. rot in response to) summer water. The charming, vase-shaped form of the rosettes during summer is the main attraction of most species. In this form, however, the dormant rosette forms a compact ball in the center of the rosette and is protected from complete desiccation by a sheath of dried leaves. The plants tend to be monocarpic so should be renewed from seed. We offer second generation plants from seed offered as G. diplocycla var. gigantea, a name not validly published but applied to a small population of especially robust plants found on a N-facing cliff at the N end of La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands, Spain. HBG 137666. $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 92 (2), Summer 2020