Stalked aeonium (Aeonium undulatum)

Features and Characteristics

Aeonium undulatum, commonly known as saucer plant, is a succulent evergreen subshrub in the orpine family that typically grows to 2-3’ tall. It is native to the Canary Islands. This plant features large rosettes of fleshy, spoon-shaped, glossy green leaves (each leaf to 4-8” long). Leaves are often wavy-edged and sometimes have hair-fringed margins. Small, star-shaped, dark yellow flowers bloom in large terminal pyramidal panicles atop stems rising above the foliage rosettes to 1-2’ tall. Most plants do not flower every year (some take up to 5 years to flower). After flowering occurs, the underlying foliage rosette dies, but this is only a significant problem with plants which have only one rosette.

Genus name is the Latin name for a plant of this genus of succulents.

Specific epithet comes from the Latin word unda meaning wave in reference to the wavy plant leaves.