xPachyveria

Albomucronata (engl. fr.)

Originator: Pierre Gossot, Corbeil, France, 1933.


First described and named by Gossot in Notre Vallée No. 24-25, July-Dec. 1938, as Urbiphytum albo-mucronatum,  a hybrid between E. purpusorum and P. hookeri, which – not surprisingly – showed no sign of the Echeveria parent but was almost identical with P. hookeri. Whether this hybrid is still alive or not is uncertain as it might be mistaken for P. hookeri or another hybrid with the latter.

 

Jacobsen, A Handbook of Succulent Plants, 1960, p. 719:

“x Pachyveria albo-mucronata (Gossot) Rowley (x Urbiphytum albo-mucronatum Gossot, x Echephytum albo-mucronatum (Gossot) Jacobs.). – Hybrid: Echeveria purpusorum Bgr. X Pachyphytum uniflorum Rose. – Not producing offsets; L. few, small, glabrous, thick, fusiform, elongated, somewhat narrowed at the base, at first somewhat curved, then straight, upper surface convex, with a whitish point at the apex, bluish, leaf tip reddened; I. as that of Pachyphytum uniflorum Rose, but stouter, F. few, reddish-orange outside.”

 

 

Description by Pierre Gossot :

Rosette : terminal, stem visible, shorter as the stem of Pachyphytum uniflorum.


Leaves: not numerous, rather small, glabrous, very thick, fusiform, elongated, somewhat narrower at the base, at first curved then straight at back surface, always convex, strongly mucronate, apex whitish, almost not keeled, at base wide and thick, bluish green, slightly somewhat reddish below and at mucro, almost not pruinose.


Inflorescences: single or only a few, emerging from the upper part of the plant, upright or oblique or even decumbent, with a few small  bracts at a height of 15 to 25 cm, reddish pink or purplish, only very slightly pruinose.


Flowering time: May – June.


Flowers: not numerous at all, well spaced on the upper part of the inflorescence, pedicels 10 – 25 mm long. Calyx with 5 sepals, not thick, elongated triangular, very unequal, rounded at apex, appressed, 2 – 9 mm long, green and reddish specially at base. Corolla with 5 petals, not thick, upright, not much open, narrow, very imbricate, almost not keeled, curved at apex, 12 – 15 mm long, reddish orange outside, yellowish inside. Stamen sterile, often united with petals. Carpel 5, not well developed, carpel and style yellowish.


Plant sterile.

 

When you see this intergeneric hybrid you would never think that E. purpusorum is involved in this crossing. There is indeed no trace of this very distinct species apart perhaps from some small bracts on the inflorescence, and yet it had been chosen as female parent and after pollination with Pachyphytum uniflorum had developed viable seeds. (1)


This result is most curious and surprising. I wonder what a cytological examination of the hybrid would reveal – perhaps give evidence of parthenogenesis of the male parent. For some unknown reason the nucleus of the sexual cell would not have participated in the crossing and pollination would have been accomplished androgenetically.


Such a phenomenon – is it possible? Some people would say yes. And is it in favour of the chromosome theory of heredity? Again they would say yes, it is. But we have only claims even if they are based on a number of successful observations. In the past, misinterpretations of biological research have been numerous, also in genetics and cytology. Though the hybrid I have described is an indisputable fact. Of course it is permitted to try to explain such phenomena – but with caution!


(1)    The hybrid in fact is not completely identical with Pachyphytum uniflorum.

(Translated by Margrit Bischofberger)

 Description par Pierre Gossot 

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