CANTABRICUM

This species was described by Huber, Feddes Repert. 33: 364 (1934). Information was taken from a specimen plant growing in the garden of Sundermann at Lindau which had been collected on Picos de Europa, north Spain by Haag in 1910. In 1934 Dr. P.L. Giuseppi found this species growing on Picos de Europa, this plant being indistinguishable in rosette and flower from Sundermann’s specimen apart from the tendency of the outer rosette leaves to assume a reddish colour on full exposure to sun.

Many diverse forms of this species have been collected in recent years. The description is as follows:

Rosettes about 5 to 6 cm in diameter, half open. Leaves a deep green with well-marked dark purple tips, both sides of the leaf surfaces being pubescent. The flowers are deep carmine with purple filaments. Offsets tend to be few and borne on leafy, stout and rather stiff stems. This is a very fine species, reasonably easy to grow, apt to suffer from winter wet but soon makes a good recovery in spring.  

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