OCTOPODES

Garden Chron. Ser. 3, 102 : 303 (1937). Dr. R. S. Wale made a translation of the original description and this is to be found in the Bull. Alp. Gard. Soc. Vol. 6 page 98 (1938). This is a very rare species both in nature and under cultivation. It was originally discovered by Dr. R. Seligman in 1929 growing in crevices on an outcrop of volcanic rock above a little tarn on the way up to the summit of Mt. Peristeri in south-west Yugoslavia. We know of no record of Sempervivum octopodes ever being found again since Dr. Seligman’s find in 1929. Vegetatively this species is closely allied to the Balkan species S. ciliosum var. galicicum and S. thompsonianum, although S. octopodes is readily distinguishable by its reddish-brown apex to the rosette leaves. The rosettes of S. octopodes are incurved or semi-open and about 1 to 2 cm in diameter with fleshy leaves which are oblanceolate or obovate, subobtuse, shortly acuminate. Rosette leaves are densely pubescent on face and back of leaves, margins with glandular cilia becoming longer towards the reddish-brown apices. The offsets are on long, slender brown stolons up to 7 cm in length. Flower-stems are slender, 9 cm high and the inflorescence is few-flowered and compact; sepals reddish-purple, petals yellow with pale red spot at the base; filaments reddish-purple, anthers yellow.

Although a very desirable species to grow, it is far from easy to cultivate as it dislikes both excessive wet in winter and the summer months and equally resentful of drought at any time of the year. Greenfly readily attack this plant.

S. octopodes var. apetalum (Turrill).

This variety was described by Dr. Turrill along with the type form in 1937. Collected by the Rev. And Mrs. H.P. Thompson in the early 1930’s when they paid a visit to Mount Peristeri, growing close to the original find of the type plant. This variety differs from the type mainly by the absence of petals and stamens, also having more numerous sepals. The rosettes are generally larger than those of the type and can reach between 2,5 and 3 cm in diameter and having more leaves to the rosettes, but they are less fleshy and of a lighter green with a less well defied brown marking on apices. Offsets are very freely produced on even longer stolons than the type, up to 9 cm in length. Unlike the type, this plant withstands the winter damp well and is very easy of culture. 

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