 |
A very small growing, spidery Sempervivum. If allowed to get too congested in a pot the individual rosettes becone tiny. Larch Cottage Nursery say: "‘Cobweb houseleek’. Smaller than the species. Very small rosettes of oval, fleshy leaves with red tips are covered in a web of white hairs. Loose clusters of star-shaped, pink flws, summer. Well drained soil, sun." In June 1973 the plant was exhibited by D. T. Ford and given an Award of Merit. In writing-up the Award for the Alpine Garden Society, Richard Gorer says: "According to Messrs. Favarger and Zesiger in Flora Europaea, the species can be divided into two rather ill-defined subspecies, differentiated by the width of the rosettes and by the amount of tomentum. The plant that received the Award fits more happily into ssp. arachnoideum, which is defined by "rosettes not more than 1.5 cm in diameter", but which sometimes has rather scanty hairs. The form known as 'Minor' has very small rosettes, probably less than 1 cm in diameter, but it is well supplied with arachnoid hairs. It appears to be a not uncommon seminal variant, occurring generally together with larger forms, throughout most of its range in the Alps. I have no reference as to what it does in the Apennines and the Cantabrian mountains. It s a very attractive plant of the easiest cultivation, often establishing itself in walls and crevices where one would not think that the roots could even penetrate, let alone find nourishment. The flowers are borne on a scape about 5 cm high and are a fairly satisfying pink." |
|
| 13th May 2005 | ||
