ROSEUM   Bañares, 2017

Section Aichryson

Distribution : N and NW Gran Canaria; common in shady and humid rocks and slopes at altitudes of 850 - 1200 m.

Description :

Biennial herb, green and usually suffused with pink or reddish, with odour of cheese specially in humid and temperate seasons, branched to densely branched, 15 - 20 cm tall, to 30 cm when in flower.

Stem sometimes prostrate, to 1 cm thick in adult plants, glabrous, rarely glabrate.

Branches to 0.5 cm thick.

Leaves forming rosettes, petiole to 3.5 cm long, lamina rhombic, undulate, especially in dry seasons, 1.5 - 2 x 1.5 - 2 cm, glandular pubescent, greasy to subviscid, indumentum sometimes sparse adaxially but abundant abaxially and along petiole, margin densely papillose, crenate, black-dotted, apex weakly retuse.

Inflorescence a dense panicle, 2 (or 3)-branched, 10 - 50-flowered, peduncle glandular pubescent, bracts similar to leaves but reduced in size, glandular pubescent, those at apex of peduncle oblanceolate, pedicels 4 - 5 mm, glandular pubescent.

Flowers 7- or 8-merous, calyx glandular pubescent, divided for up to 2/3 its length into lanceolate, acute to subapiculate, reddish-tipped segments 3 - 3.4 x 1 - 1.2 mm, petals yellow, elliptic to lanceolate, 5 - 5.5 x 2 - 2.1 mm, 1.3 - 1.5 x as long as calyx, abaxially puberulent, apex with reddish apiculum to 1 mm, stamens yellow, glabrous.

Flowering time April and May.

Note :

Aichryson roseum is widely distributed on Gran Canaria ; however obviously its existence has not been noticed due to misinterpretations of the similar and possibly related species A. parlatorei and A. pachycaulon ssp. praetermissum

A. roseum is close to A. bollei  (endemic to La Palma) and A. bituminosum (endemic to Gran Canaria).