No, I did not made the name up. This is how that plant is called and I remember I have been wanting it for quite a while. Lovely Echeveria with very dark leaves.
And so I ordered it in one of the online shops together with other plants. Some of them didn't make it. This one is tough as a nail! And that's what makes me like it even more.
Echeveria Black Prince
It is with me for almost 6 years already and it has been though a lot, which you can tell by the look of it. For some reason mealybugs just love it and I was struggling to get rid of them. They just always come back. They managed to damage the growing tip so the main rosette eventually died, but the stem started to grow more on the sides, which are now nice and big.
Few sunburns, some underwatering.
And here it is it all it's glory.
And you know what... I freaking love it like that! It is not perfect. It is twisted and crooked. But it has a character!
A bit like humans, right? :)
I could cut the rosettes off and root them all over again to make them look pretty and perfect and just the same as any other pretty and perfect echeveria. But I am not going to.
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Yes, it is in a clay pot :) The same clay pots that I normally dislike. But I did plant some succulents in larger clay pots and I do mane sure they get more water than normally, and I think they do quite good. I love the clay look even though most plants hate to be in clay.
I did manage to propagate it few times though the leaves that accidently broken off while repotting. Most of the pups I gave away and I think I have two small ones left. It is just so easy: you pick up a leaf, ad leave it in top of a soil. It will start growing tiny roots in to time and soon after that leaves will also start to appear. In a coupe of weeks you get a new baby plant. Or even a few from just one leaf.
The flowers are typical for Echeverias, but the colour is not. It is the only one that I have with such deep dark red. and even darker little leaves around the flowers. They don't open fully. I am stull not sure if that's how they are, or is it because they decided to bloom in winter and it is just not warm enough to open more. I still like them a lot.
And this is how it looked like when I got it years ago. It was growing in a 5cm pot (now the clay one is 14cm I think) and it was more green. The colour changes and depends on how much sun it is getting. In a shaded spot it will turn more green. My ones is getting sun all year round (dappled sun during the summer) and it changes to this dark red beast :)
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.
