46. Echeveria subrigida (Robinson and Seaton) Rose.
(Figures 92-93.)
Echeveria subrigida (Robinson and Seaton) Rose, in Britton and Rose, Bull New York Bot. Gard., vol. 3, p. 10, 1903; Britton and Rose, N. Amer. Fl.. vol. 22, p. 23, 1905; Poellnitz, in Fedde Repert., vol. 39, p. 250, 1936, in part.
Cotyledon subrigida Robinson and Seaton, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sci., vol. 28, p. 105, 1893; N. E. Brown, Bot. Mag., pi. 8445, 1912.
Echeveria angusta Poellnitz, in Fedde Repert., vol. 39, p. 247, 1936.
Illustrations. Bot. Mag., pl. 8445, 1912; Cactus and Succ. Jour. Amer., vol. 6, p. 139, fig. 4, 1935; vol. 8, p. 19, figs. 22, 23, 1936; vol. 17, p. 83, fig. 54, 1945; vol. 31, p. 42, fig. 18, 1959.
Stem usually quite short, simple, to 5 cm. thick; leaves rather few, about 15, but densely rosulate, oblong-oblanceolate, 15 to 25 cm. long, 5 to 10 cm. broad, scarcely petioled, but at base narrowed to width of 4 cm. or less, thick, rigid, acute or shortly acuminate, edges somewhat upturned and often finely undulate-crenulate, conspicuously white-pruinose; with red margin and mucro; inflorescences one or two, sometimes to 100 cm. tall, narrowly paniculate; peduncle erect, stout, to 15 mm. thick at base; bracts few, slightly spreading, obovate, acuminate, 30 to 55 mm. long; branches as many as 12, each with one to seven flowers; pedicels stout, 2 to 5 mm. long; sepals subequal, longest to 25 mm. long, deltoid-lanceolate, acuminate, ascending; corolla urceolate, pentagonal, to 25 mm. long, 14 mm. or more in diameter at base, to 20 mm. wide at mouth when fully open; petals keeled, with pronounced basal hollow within; carpels to 18 mm. long; stamens 16 to 18 mm. long; nectaries truncate, reniform, to 4 mm. broad, red. Flowers from August to October. Description from plants collected at the type locality by the author in 1934.
Color. Leaves water- to light grape-green without bloom, but strikingly white-pruinose, tinged light purplish vinaceous, edged and tipped pompeian-red; bracts deep bluish glaucous, to dark vinaceous-brown at edges and apex; sepals deep heliotrope-gray to dull indian-purple; corolla hermosa-pink, but scarlet without bloom; petals inside grenadine-red to buff-yellow, chateney-pink at base; carpels whitish to javel-green; styles scarlet to maroon; nectaries spectrum-red.
Figure 92. 46. Echeveria subrigida (Robinson and Seaton) Rose. Plant at the type locality, in Tultenango Canon, State of Mexico, 25 July 1966 (Moran 13420).
Type. Pringle, 1892/4326, ledges, Tultenango Canon (GH, type; BR,F,-MEXU,P,PH,UC,US,W).
Occurrence. Mexico. State of Mexico, on cliffs along railroad between Solis and Tultenango.
Collections. Mexico. State of Mexico: ledges, Tultenango Canon, Pringle, type; Pringle, 02/9778 (GH.NY.US). Cultivated: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, E. Walther in 1934 (CAS).
Remarks. Echeveria subrigida is one of the most distinct of all Echeveria species, because of its silvery, narrow, acute subscssile leaves, tall inflorescences with numerous, few-flowered branches, its very large corolla, and last but not least, its unique scarlet nectaries. In most of these points it is very close to E. palmeri Rose, from San Luis Potosi, Hidalgo, Durango, and Jalisco, but its silvery foliage serves to distinguish E. subrigida from E. palmeri. For further discussion, see E. palmeri.
Echeveria angusta Poellnitz clearly belongs here; apparently Poellnitz knew E. subrigida only from herbarium specimens. His citation of Ehrenberg's material from the barrancas near Regla, Hidalgo, probably represents confusion with E. mucronata or one of its allies.
Echeveria subrigida appears to be frequently cultivated in European collections; I saw it in numerous botanic gardens in 1957.
Figure 93. 46. Echeveria subrigida (Robinson and Seaton) Rose. Plant grown at Kew; received in 1905 from Dr. J. N. Rose as E. palmeri Rose. From an article by N. E. Brown (Curtis's Botanical Magazine, volume 138, plate 8445).
©
Echeveria, 1972