Aeonium Goblin

Aeonium 'Goblin' is a curious and highly ornamental succulent plant that over time forms a low, branched tuft resembling a bonsai. Growing quite slowly, it produces large rosettes of leaves in a beautiful tender green, intricately overlapped in a very geometric manner. In summer, the foliage turns to a more or less marked orangish bronze, depending on the sunlight. Its low hardiness, to about -4°C, limits its outdoor cultivation to the mildest areas. Its compactness allows easy pot cultivation elsewhere, perfect for embellishing a terrace or balcony and bringing indoors to a frost-free, bright room in winter.

Aeoniums belong to the Crassulaceae family, which comprises 30 genera and nearly 1400 species. The unique metabolism of these plants, often of small stature, enables them to thrive in very dry environments. Many genera are native to warm climates, such as the commonly seen Kalanchoe indoors or the Aeonium, with 45 species almost exclusively from the Canary Islands. However, some members of the Crassulaceae tolerate cold well, like Sempervivum (Houseleek) or Sedum, used for green roofs. 'Goblin' is a variety introduced in 2016 and derived from the reversion of the Aeonium 'Ballerina', a pale green cultivar variegated with white. Occasionally in variegated plants, some shoots (rosettes here) revert to green; by propagating them, the original species is obtained, or a new plant, as with 'Goblin'. This cultivar is believed to be a hybrid of Aeonium x globosum, itself resulting from a cross between A. canariense var. palmense and A. spathulatum. The former grows close to the ground on the island of Palma, forming large light green rosettes and producing floral stems about thirty centimetres high, bearing small yellow-greenish flowers. The latter forms a small, highly branched plant with well-opened leaf rosettes and beautiful starry yellow flowers.

Aeonium 'Goblin' forms large rosettes of light green leaves, more imposing than those of 'Ballerina' due to higher photosynthetic activity resulting from the absence of variegation (variegated areas lack chlorophyll and do not contribute to the plant's growth). Narrow at the base of insertion, the leaves abruptly widen in the upper third before ending in a more or less rounded tip with a slight terminal point. Interestingly, they are covered in tiny hairs, giving them a unique texture, sometimes slightly sticky. The rosettes are situated at the ends of short stems, which branch out over time, adding volume to the plant. Growing quite slowly, after 10 years of cultivation, the plant forms a compact tuft 35 cm in all directions, with a highly aesthetic geometric appearance. It is even more ornamental in summer, as the rosettes' periphery gradually turns to a golden bronze mixed with pale orange, a colour difficult to describe but very pleasing to the eye and perfectly harmonious with the tender green centre. This Aeonium is mainly prized for its foliage, as its flowering is considered rare in cultivation. The flowering consists of small star-shaped yellow flowers, clustered in corymbs above the foliage mass.

Aeonium 'Goblin' will delight plant enthusiasts with its neat and original design. Its summer colours, unique in the genus, are particularly attractive and soft, deserving a spot on your terrace to adorn it throughout the warm season. In winter, bring the pot indoors to protect it from the cold, in a cool, bright room. In very mild climates where frost is occasional and mild, you can place it in the centre of a bed of exotic plants or within a rockery alongside other distinctive plants. The sculptural Agave celsii 'Nova' with its broad bluish-grey leaves will be a perfect companion. Much hardier Euphorbia myrsinites, or Corsican Spurge, will bring its own architectural touch with stems covered in small bluish-green leaves meticulously arranged in almost perfect geometry, and its terminal flowers blooming in a superb blend of yellow and chartreuse green. For a beautiful contrast of shapes and colours, plant a Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora), forming a tuft of long, delicately thin leaves, dominated in summer by long coral-red flower spikes.