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Aeonium goochiae comes from La Palma in the Canary Isles, growing near to the coast, tolerating low temperatures but not really frost.
This plant outside died when the snow settled on it through winter. I have a young plant growing in a cold greenhouse a few feet away that was undamaged.
'Ballerina' is a variegated form that has collected a number of additional synonyms along the way. The name 'Ballerina' was coined by Gordon Rowley and published in 1983, but I can't find the reference. World of Succulents says: "Aeonium 'Ballerina' is a charming small succulent with variegated leaves. According to Rudolf Schulz, it is most likely a hybrid resulting from а cross between Aeonium glutinosum and possibly Aeonium canariense. This plant is sometimes sold as Aeonium goochiae 'Ballerina'." Variegated Aeonium say: "The exact origin of Aeonium 'Ballerina' remains unknown, and its taxonomic history is especially interesting. It was long presented as a form of ‘Goochiae’ or as a hybrid involving Aeonium glutinosum and Aeonium canariense, but this hypothesis is now questioned. Recent morphological observations associate 'Ballerina' much more closely with Aeonium × globosum, the natural hybrid Aeonium canariense × Aeonium spathulatum. The variegated cultivar may therefore represent a variegated form of this hybrid. Origin unknown. The name 'Ballerina' is nevertheless old: it appeared in Jack Kramer’s Cacti and Other Succulents in 1977. Rudolf Schulz also discussed it in Aeonium in Habitat and Cultivation (2007). Aeonium 'Ballerina' predates the recent wave of Asian variegated mutations by several decades. Its name was already used in horticultural literature in the late 1970s. Its parentage remained uncertain for many years. Its morphology now corresponds particularly well with Aeonium × globosum, and green reversions recover the appearance of the non-variegated hybrid, sometimes marketed as 'Green Ballerina' or 'Goblin'. |
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| 4th May 2017 | ||
