GUDELIANA  Véliz & García-Mendoza, 2011   (engl./ fr.)

Series Pruinosae

Type : Véliz 22564, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, municipio Nentón, Road to Gracias a Dios, 1074 m, 7 Feb 2011.

Etymology : Named for Gudelia Pérez Muñoz.

Distribution : Guatemala (Dept. Huehuetenango), Mexico (Chiapas). Growing in deciduous tropical low forest at 700 – 1100 m on rocks and calcareous hillrocks.

First Description by Véliz & García-Mendoza in Cactus Aventures International 91: 2-7, ills., 2011 :

Perennial, succulent herbaceous plant, 50 - 120 cm high including the inflorescence, caulescent.

Stems up to 20 cm long and 2 cm in diameter, erect or ascending.

Rosettes at the end of the stems, 20 – 30 cm in diameter.

Leaves 15 – 20, ascending, oblanceolate, 15 - 20 cm long, 10 - 12.5 cm wide, sessile, pruinose, extremity blunt, apiculate, trinerved.

Inflorescence lateral, lax, paniculate, pruinose, with 3 – 4 cincinni, bracts similar to rosette leaves but smaller, floral bracts 2 – 3 cm long, 1.2 – 1.5 cm wide, sub-peltate, succulent, sessile,  extremity thin, pedicels up to 3 mm long, pruinose.

Flowers secund,  Sepals unequal, 3 of (5-) 8 - 12 mm long, 4 - 5 mm wide, lanceolate, and 2 of 14 - 22 mm long, 7 - 10 mm wide, fused at the bas, fleshy, curved, green, petals 2 cm long and 6 - 7 mm wide, lanceolate-elongated, fleshy, carinate, acuminate, reddish, pruinose.

Flowering time : December - March

The closest species is Echeveria desmetiana however the differences between the two species are obvious.

Cytology : n = 28 (according to C.H. Uhl, Haseltonia 10, 2004, reported of a plant he had provisionally called E. “cf. steyermarkii” (U2596) and which in the meantime has turned out to be E. gudeliana).

Link to a short description in French.

First described in International Cactus Adventures 91: 2-7, ills., 2011.