HELMUTIANA  Kimnach, 1995  (engl./ fr.)

Series Racemosae

Type : Kimnach 3202, near San Isidro Chicahuastla, Sit. Juxtlahuaca, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Etymology : Named for Helmut Regnat, Ottobrunn, Germany.

Distribution : Mexico (Oaxaca : San Isidro Chicahuastla) ; 2300m.

First Description by M. Kimnach in Cactus and Succulent Journal US 67: 80 - 81. 1995 :

Plant entirely glabrous, non-glaucous.

Roots not tuberous.

Stem not visible between leaves, to 4 cm high or more, 12 - 18 mm thick.

Rosettes rarely caespitose, 10 - 13 cm wide and 4 - 8 cm high.

Leaves 40 - 50, linear-oblong or slightly obovate, abruptly acuminate, acute, the apex often directed slightly to one side or often recurving, slightly concave on upper face near apex, otherwise convex on both face, 4 - 6 cm long, 13 - 17 mm wide, to 4 - 5.5 mm  thick at middle, somewhat thinner near each end, olive green or more or less suffused with red, sometimes entirely red, more or less shiny, the margin rather sharp, smooth, with a 0.5 - 1 mm wide translucent white band along each side.

Flowering stems 45 - 65 cm high or more, peduncle 25 cm long, 6 - 8 mm thick near base, ca 5 mm thick under lowest flower, reddish green, with 26 - 46 bracts that are ascending to erect, ca 1 - 3 cm apart, obovate, minutely cuspidate, 2 - 3.5 cm long, 4 - 8 mm wide near base, 6 - 13 mm wide at widest part, 2 - 3 mm thick, slightly convex to flat on both faces, obscurely keeled on lower face, with a whitish spur at base ca 1.5 mm long and curving away from the rachis, olive-green tinged reddish, shiny.

Inflorescence racemose, 20 - 30 cm long, the rachis tapering to 3 mm thick near apex, redder than the peduncle, with 20 - 30 or more sharply ascending to erect, incurving, linear-obovate bracts 9 - 18 mm long, 3 - 4 mm wide, ca 1.5 mm thick, pedicels of flower buds ascending, on open flowers arching or at right angles to rachis, on closed flowers ascending again, 5 - 12 mm long, ca 1 mm thick, with two linear-ovate, acute bracteoles, 1.5 - 2.5 mm long.

Flowers : Calyx with disc ca 4 mm wide, the sepals ascending to erect, slightly incurving, oblong-ovate, subobtuse, minutely cuspidate, unequal, 5 - 7 mm long, ca 2 mm wide at middle, coloured like leaves, corolla barrel-shaped, opening ca 4 mm, 7 - 10 mm long, 7 mm thick at middle, petals erect to slightly incurving at apex, ovate-oblong, subobtuse, ca 4 mm wide at middle, the inner face concave, yellowish orange on basal half, orange on apical half, the outer face obtusely keeled, orange, filaments yellow.

Link to a summary of the above description in English and French.

Note : 

Echeveria helmutiana is closely related to E. chazaroi, growing only some 10 km distant from the latter. The flowering parts are similar, however the leaves are different. E. helmutiana has highly succulent and green or strongly reddened non-glaucous leaves with a straight smooth margin, while the leaves of E. chazaroi are much less succulent and the leaf margins are more or less crispate, bluish green and with a translucent, miutely erose, whitish border.