SALTENSIS   G.Pino, W.Ale & D.Marquiegui, 2019

Type : W.Ale & D.Marquiegui  01/2019, collected on slate outcrops, Dept Guachipas, Prov. Salta, Argentina.

Distribution : Only known from the type locality, the Santa Maria-Guachipas River system in the Province of Salta, close to the border of the Province of Tucumán, growing in a subtropical climate, ca 1200 m asl - perhaps the southernmost  Echeveria.

Description :

A succulent, glabrous herb.

Roots narrowly tuberous.

Stem short, simple, erect when young, then curved or decumbent, 2.5 - 7 cm long, 1 - 1.8 (-3) cm thick, with circular leaf scars.

Rosette generally simple, 8 - 18 cm in diameter.

Leaves 10 - 22, very narrowly obovate to very narrowly oblong, 3.5 - 9 cm long, 0.7 - 2.2 cm wide at middle, 2 - 5 mm thick, upper side flat to concave or canaliculate, lower side subcarinate, surface pattern formed by minute green, red, black and white longitudinal rows of discontinuous dots, shiny in some plants, margins light green or light red, apex acute or mucronate.

Flowering stem a lateral raceme, 25 - 45 (-60) cm long, green at base, pinkish above, bracts oblong to very narrowly ovate, 2 - 4 cm long, 5 -  10 mm wide, same colour and pattern as leaves, pedicels 0.5 - 1.2 cm long with 1 small bractlet at the middle, pink to dark red.

Flowers 10 - 23, sepals united at base, unequal, 4 - 6 mm long, spreading, light green, corolla urceolate to subprismatical, 1.3 - 1.5 cm long and 0.8 - 0.9 cm wide near base, 0.4 - 0.5 cm wide near apex, salmon red below, yellowish above, tip red, inside yellow.

Flowering time : January - February.

Note :

Regarding size and shape of leaves / rosettes Echeveria saltensis could easily be confused with E. chiclensis var. cantaensis from Peru, however the surface pattern and colour variation of the leaves of the former is not seen in the latter. Moreover older plants of E. saltensis develop bending aerial stems and may even branch freely while the stems of E. chiclensis var. cantaensis are always short and erect.

First published in Cactus and Succulent Journal, US, 91(3): 182-189, 2019.