Flora of New Zealand Series

giant aeonium

Monocarpic or rarely perennial; stem trunk-like, not branched or with few short branches below infl., to c. 1.5 m high and usually 2-3 cm diam., sometimes smaller in exposed positions, with prominent, brown, lozenge-shaped scars. Rosettes terminal, 15-30 cm diam. on main stem, flattened except in summer. Outer rosette lvs to 24 × 6 cm, 2-4 mm thick, spathulate or obovate-spathulate, green, glabrous and ± flat on both surfaces; margins ciliate, ± red or reddish brown especially towards the mucronulate or mucronate apex. Flowering shoots terminal, the plant usually dying after flowering; axis very stout, tall, erect, glabrous or very rarely with minute glandular hairs, with numerous small leafy bracts up to flowering. Infl. a massive, broadly pyramidal panicle, ± acutely pointed at the top, usually 25-40 × 18-25 cm, sometimes smaller in exposed positions; fls ± secund along branches. Calyx lobes 1.2-3 mm long, usually glabrous, very rarely with minute glandular hairs, elliptic-lanceolate to triangular. Petals 8-11-(12), 6.5-10 × 2-3 mm, linear, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic or narrowly oblong-elliptic, golden. Stamens yellow, the inner whorl 6-8.5 mm long, the outer whorl almost = inner. Carpels yellow or greenish yellow. Scales 0.4-0.7 mm long, ± square to rectangular-cuneate, sometimes slightly emarginate. Seeds 0.6-0.8 mm long, ± obovoid, minutely longitudinally streaked.

N.: established at 2 sites on Rangitoto Id (Auckland); S.: Port Hills and Church Bay (Banks Peninsula).

Canary Is 1988

Raw lava banks, old house sites, and scrub on steep slopes over lava rock.

FL Oct-Nov-(Dec).

The main populations of the spectacular giant aeonium are on Rangitoto Id and Church Bay, Banks Peninsula. Wild plants of giant aeonium have slightly smaller rosettes and infls than most cultivated plants but otherwise are indistinguishable from them. The only other Aeonium in N.Z. which approaches A. undulatum in size is A. urbicum and that is distinguished by its glaucous lvs. One specimen (CHR 439928, Church Bay, Banks Peninsula, Sykes, 13.9.1987) has minutely glandular-hairy infl. branches and calyces but in all other respects is typical of A. undulatum.