Echeveria lilacina is one of the most beautiful of
the species, it
a very striking succulent in containers or in the landscape,
being nearly white,
and it is very easy to grow.
Description: It is a larger but slow growing
Echeveria, that forms very neat rosettes. It remain often
solitary or rarely offsets with age.
Rosettes: Flat, sculpted with a somewhat "rosebud" shape about
12-20 cm across.
Leaves: Plump, symmetrically arranged, up-curved, spoon shaped,
with a fine point. Thy are silvery-grey, almost white, pearlescent with
a particularly blue hue and take a delicate blush of lilac or purple in
full sun. The colour is due to a powdery waxy coating. Rosette gives the
impression of alabaster wax suffused with violet.
Flowers: Blooms are very showy, and emerge on reddish, arching,
but relatively low (15 cm) stems, compared to many other Echeverias. The
flowers are pale pink to pale orange or coral red.
Blooming season: Later winter/early spring.
This plant is slower growing than many other Echeverias in
cultivation and does not offset readily.
bloom in the spring with short arching racemes of pink flowers. They are
very showy when in bloom.
Scientific name: Echeveria
lilacina Kimnach & Moran
Cactus & Succulent Journal of America 52(4): 175-179,
ill., July- /Aug 1980
Common English Names include: Ghost Echeveria, Mexican Hens & Chicks.
This is a striking species in the landscape, being nearly white.
Origin: Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
Habitat: Grow on rocky
outcroppings at higher altitudes
Etymology: The genus Echeveria is named after the 18th
century Spanish botanist Atanasio Echeverria Codoy
Cultivation: it can
tolerate sun to shade but - generally speaking - the more light a plant
gets the better it will display its colours and shape. However, when
moving plants from lower light conditions into full sun, be wary of sun
scorch, most easily avoided by ensuring plants are well-watered before
moving them on a cloudy day. They can tolerate extended dry periods and
survive drought without the need for watering, but they will grow
stronger if they receive adequate moisture during their growing season,
ut never allowing the plant to remain waterlogged (root rot sensitive).
Use a very porous soil, which will allow quick drainage. Slow release
fertilisers with a low to moderate nitrogen content are adequate for the
spring and summer growing seasons, and additional fertiliser
applications would not required until spring. Good air movement is
important for minimising pest and disease risks, and avoiding excessive
humidity in cool winter conditions is important to successfully growing
Echeveria in the nursery environment. It can tolerate light frosts, but
it is best overwintered at 5-10 °C.
With the cooler autumn temperatures tending to make their foliage
colours become more intense than those of the active summer growing
Aphids like this plant (and all flowering Echeverias).
runyonii 'Topsy Turvy' is usually propagated by removal of offset and by
division of large clumps. Let the cut ends dry for overnight or up to a
week before potting up. Some growers recommend planting immediately into
dry growing media, watering only after roots form.