ECHEVERIA.
Cotyledon lanceolata, Benth. and Hook. Stonecrop or Orpine Family.
Fleshy plants, with tufted radical leaves. Leaves.—Narrowly lanceolate; the outer ones two to four inches long; acuminate. Scapes.—Fifteen inches high; their lower leaves lanceolate; becoming above broadly triangular-ovate, clasping, acute; bearing on their summit a branching flower-cluster. Calyx.—Five-parted. Corolla.—Cylindrical; of five almost distinct, oblong, acute petals, four to six lines long, reddish-yellow. Stamens.—Ten. Ovaries.—Five; distinct; one-celled. Hab.—Los Angeles to San Diego.
These plants, which are of frequent occurrence in the south, usually affect dry, sandy soils. The fleshy foliage is of a warm tone, owing to a suffusion of pink in the leaves. These have a loose, erect habit, and are not crowded in dense rosettes, as are those of some species, and they are so weak that they pull apart easily. The tall flowering stems have but few leaves, and are sometimes nearly naked.
In early summer these plants put forth a strong effort, quickly sending up several tall, vigorous flower-shoots, drawing upon the nourishment stored in the fleshy leaves, which then become limp and shriveled.
Growing upon the coast at San Diego is a very curious and interesting species—C. edulis, Brew. This has cylindrical leaves, about the size of a lead-pencil, which grow in tufts, often a foot or two across. Its flowers are greenish-yellow. It is commonly known as "finger-tips." Its young leaves are considered very palatable by the Indians, who use them as a salad.
HEN-AND-CHICKENS.
Cotyledon Californicum, Trelease. Stonecrop or Orpine Family.
(For flower structure, see Cotyledon lanceolata.) Hab.—Central California.
The word "cotyledon" signifies any cup-shaped hollow or cavity, and has been applied to the plants of this genus on account of the manner of growth of the leaves, which is usually in a hollow rosette. The fleshy leaves are often covered with a bloom or a floury powder. These plants are familiar to most of us, as some of the species are extensively cultivated in our gardens as border-plants. Owing to their habit of producing a circle of young plants around the parent, they are commonly called "hen-and-chickens." We have several native species, which are usually found upon warm, rocky hill-slopes, or upon rocks near the sea.