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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Crassulaceae (Stonecrops) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Spring |
| Height: <1 foot |
| Width: <1 foot |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Echeveria halbingeri (Mexican Snowball) - This is a tight rosette-forming gray-leafed succulent which freely offsets to form a dense small mound or groundcover about 6 inches tall and in mid-spring (May in Santa Barbara) has flowers with yellow, slightly recurved petals forming a tube with pale pink coloration at the base. We received this plant as a selection of Echeveria elegans but upon flowering we realized it was something quite different. While we are not absolutely certain that this plant is not a hybrid, it most closely matches Echeveria halbingeri and until we can confirm otherwise we are listing it as this species. Our thanks to John Bleck, John Trager and Myron Kimnach who have all helped in this identification. Plant in full sun (coastal) to light shade and irrigate little to occasionally and it should prove hardy to at least 20-25 degrees F. We received this plant from Dave Bernstein of Cactus Ranch Nursery and grew it from 2005 until 2008. The genus Echeveria was named to honor Mexican botanical artist Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy in 1828 by the French botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (DeCandolle) who was very impressed with Echeverría's drawings. Echeverría had accompanied the the Sessé and Mociño expedition (led by Martin de Sessé y Lacasta and Mariano Mociño Suárez de Figueroa) while exploring Mexico and northern Central America and had produced thousands of botanical illustrations. The genus Echeveria is a member of the large Crassula family (Crassulaceae), which has about 1,400 species in 33 genera with worldwide distribution. Echeveria, with approximately 180 species, are native to mid to higher elevations in the Americas with the main distribution in Mexico and central America but with one species found from as far north as southern Texas and several species occurring as far south as Bolivia, Peru and possibly Argentina. The book "The genus Echeveria" by John Pilbeam (published by the British Cactus and Succulent Society, 2008) is an excellent source of information on the species and "Echeveria Cultivars" by Lorraine Schulz and Attila Kapitany (Schulz Publishing, 2005) has beautiful photos and great information on the cultivars and hybrids. It has been argued by some that the correct pronunciation for the genus is ek-e-ve'-ri-a, though ech-e-ver'-i-a seems in more prevalent use in the US.
The information displayed on this page about Echeveria halbingeri is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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