AEONIUM arboreum “Atropurpureum”

Superb variant of the Aeonium arboreum, it is always easy to be cultivated, fast growing. It is native to North African; it can quickly grow to a meter tall and large. It reminds the shape of a very original bouquet of roses. Stems, in fact, erect, fleshy and weakly branched, are crowned by lanceolate leaves with rounded apex and rosette arrangement: their color, moreover, variable from the bright green of the autumn-winter period to the blackish-red of the spring-summer period has made them deserve the popular name "plant that gets tanned". Its flowering is never predictable: surprisingly, however, always between spring and summer, the heart of some rosettes produce a conical inflorescence of small yellowish daisies.

Sun and well-drained soil are its only need; it does not fear seaside garden saltiness, as well as periods of prolonged drought, while it must be protected with a suitable shelter from intense and lasting cold. It is advisable to remove the rosettes that bloomed the year before in spring to allow a richer branching of the plant. Excellent vase essence for terraces and balconies, it develops very well even in the open ground: it's ideal the combination among rocks with other succulent plants or cacti in general.