# Echeveria

Echeverias are beautiful succulent plants with thick, fleshy leaves that come in various colors like green, purple, and blue. They are easy to care for and make lovely decorations in gardens or pots.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 2/5 · Low
- **Habitat:** Desert
- **Also known as:** Hen and Chicks

![Echeveria](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/%28MHNT%29_Echeveria_secunda.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%28MHNT%29_Echeveria_secunda.jpg)

## Appearance

The Echeveria is a succulent plant forming a compact rosette of fleshy leaves. These leaves can be green, blue-grey, pink, or purple, often with a powdery, waxy coating. Its unique, often symmetrical, rosette shape makes it easily distinguishable.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Saxifragales
- **Family:** Crassulaceae
- **Genus:** Echeveria

## Interesting facts

- Echeveria leaves often turn vibrant shades of red, pink, or purple in bright sunlight!
- Many Echeveria species naturally grow clinging to rocky cliffs and crevices in the wild.
- Some Echeveria rosettes can grow to be much larger than your outstretched hand!
- The Echeveria genus is named after Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy, a famous botanical illustrator.

## Special abilities

- **Water Storage Master:** Echeveria has thick, fleshy leaves that store water, helping it survive long periods without rain in dry environments.
- **Sunscreen Shield:** Echeveria can grow a powdery, waxy coating called farina, which protects its leaves from intense sunlight and dehydration.
- **Clone Creator:** Echeveria can sprout new little plants, called offsets or 'pups,' from its base, making more Echeverias easily!

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 5-30 cm
- **Spread:** 10-40 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring_to_summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen
- **Pollinates:** [Ruby-throated Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/ruby-throated-hummingbird) (*Archilochus colubris*) — feeds on flower nectar in native range
- **Eats:** long-tailed mealybug (*Pseudococcus longispinus*) — sucks sap from leaves and stems
- **Parasitizes:** damping-off fungus (*Rhizoctonia solani*) — causes root rot in overwatered plants

## Traits

- [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.
- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability.
- [Succulent](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/succulent): Succulent plants have thickened, fleshy parts, usually leaves or stems, adapted to store water in arid climates.
- [Desert](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/desert): Desert habitats are arid regions characterized by extremely low precipitation and often extreme temperatures, supporting specialized flora and fauna.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)
- [Succulents](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/succulents)

## Safety

**Danger:** 2/5 · Low

Avoid touching the leaves as they may have a protective coating that can be harmful if ingested. Always wash hands after handling.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Echeveria?

Compare leaf arrangement, rosette shape, ribs, spines and flowers. Keep in mind that drought and strong sun can shift a plant's color and shape. Succulent Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Echeveria?

5-30 cm

### How wide does Echeveria spread?

10-40 cm

### How big are the flowers on Echeveria?

1-2 cm

### When does Echeveria bloom?

Spring_to_summer

### Is Echeveria edible?

Yes

### Is Echeveria toxic?

None

### What is Echeveria's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Schlosspark Altenstein (Bad Liebenstein)](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/altenstein-castle-park-bad-liebenstein) — Thüringen, DE · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Echeveria: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/echeveria)