In cultivation, we have found that A. smithii is a somewhat delicate plant, requiring more shade than other aeoniums. This seems in contradiction to habitat photos one can see of plants growing in very xeric looking situations on exposed volcanic rock. However, the plant grows at higher altitudes in the mountains of Tenerife, Canary Islands. These are in the fog zone which explains the coarse hairs that cover the stems and function to condense moisture from the air. During summer dormancy, the leaves are gradually lost to conserve moisture until only a minute rosette persists at the stem tips awaiting winter rains. Then lush rosettes of succulent leaves can form often with undulate margins and ornamented with conspicuous red idioblasts on the undersides of the leaves. We offer seedlings from HBG 77622 from self-set seed of a plant ex Pecks Cactus. $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 96 (2), Summer 2024