The Purpusorum Echeveria is an attractive, rosette-shaped perennial succulent plant with a compact growth habit.
They hail from Central America, Pueblo, and Oaxaca Mexico, and Texas.
This type of Echeveria is quite sought after by collectors because of its interesting reptilian appearance.
Echeveria purpusorum (ech-eh-VER-ee-a pur-PUS-or-um) is a member of the Stonecrop or Crassulaceae family of plants.
The botanical name, Echeveria, honors the Spanish, eighteenth-century botanist Anastasio Echeverria y Godoy.
This plant is also referred to as Urbinia purpusii or simply, Urbinia.
Echeveria Purpusorum Care
Size & Growth
This particular type of Echeveria reaches a height and width of approximately 3″ inches at full maturity and has a moderate rate of growth.
The foliage of the Echeveria purpusorum grows in a rosette pattern. The green leaves are colorful, fleshy, and coated with a fine layer of wax. Touching them is discouraged because you may leave permanent fingerprints.
The plant has sharply edged triangular-shaped leaves with pointed tips. Individual leaves are approximately 1″ inch wide and 1.5″ inches long.
The leaves of this plant vary in color from pale green to a very deep rose. They are marked with mottling of reddish-brown spots. When the plant is stressed by cold, spots become deeper in color.
Flowering & Fragrance
Although these plants are mostly kept for their leaves, they do produce flowers from time to time in the form of panicles or racemes atop foot-high stalks.
The flowers are bright red and have yellow tips. The plant usually blooms late in the springtime.
Sunlight & Temperature
Echeveria like to be kept bright to full sunlight. Place your Echeveria in a south-facing window if you can. Otherwise, choose a west or east-facing window and/or add artificial light to be sure that your plant has no lack of bright light.
Use of a full spectrum grow light is advised indoors. If planting your Echeveria outside, provide a part shade/part sun setting.
These succulents like to average temperature. Consistent warmth is desirable, but excessive heat and harsh sunlight are not. Cooler temperatures often bring out the red coloring in the leaves.
If you live in an area that has very cold winters, you can keep your Echeveria as a houseplant in the wintertime and allow it to enjoy the warmth of the outdoors in the spring and summer.
When keeping your plant indoors, take care to protect it against cold drafts.
Watering & Feeding
Use the soak and dry watering method for Echeveria . Water thoroughly and then allow the soil to become almost completely dry before watering again.
Take care not to pour water over the plant as this can lead to leaf and stem rot. Also do not allow excess water to collect in a saucer.
Feed with a liquid fertilizer during spring and summer. Echeveria plants do not need fertilizer in winter.
More on Succulent Echeveria Watering
Well-Drained Soil For Succulent Plants & Transplanting
As with most cactus and succulents, Echeveria likes well-draining soil.
A succulent soil mixture consisting of bark, gravel, pumice, perlite, coarse sand, and a bit of potting soil is ideal. Avoid poorly draining or water-retaining ingredients such as clay or peat moss.
Don’t place rocks in the bottom of your container, as this will not actually help with drainage. If you have prepared a sharply draining enough substrate, you should not encounter any drainage problems.
Be sure that the pot you put this or any succulent in has plenty of drainage holes.
If you live in a desert setting and plant your Echeveria directly in the ground, it’s a good idea to use a raised bed and provide sharply draining soil.
Grooming & Maintenance
These plants need little or no grooming or pruning. Carefully remove any withered, damaged or dead leaves as needed. Repot and separate pups annually or as needed.
How To Propagate Echeveria Purpusorum
Echeveria may be propagated from the division of pups from the mother plant, leaf cuttings or it may be grown from seed.
If growing from seed, carefully follow the directions that come with the seeds you purchase.
If growing from leaf cuttings, a popular method of propagation – select and separate a healthy leaf. Allow the cut on the leaf to callus for several days. Then lay it gently on the surface of some prepared soil.
Make sure that the cut end comes in contact with the soil. Place the container in a warm area that receives ample bright, indirect sunlight and has a decent level of humidity.
You should not need to water or mist the cutting for quite a while. Just check on it frequently. When it begins to show roots, begin watering it as you would a mature plant. When it displays small leaves, you can move it to its own small container.
Your Echeveria may produce pups. If it does, separate the baby plants with their characteristic purple-green color from the parent plant and place them in their own little pots.
Echeveria Purpusorum Pests or Diseases
If watered and cared for properly, Echeveria is practically problem-free. If you overwater or use an overhead watering technique, your plant may develop problems with stem or root rot.
Compromised plants are subject to all manner of succulent pests. Among them are:
- Fungus gnats
- Succulent Mealybugs
- Mites
- Scale
Suggested Echeveria Purpusorum Uses
It’s easy to take care of Urbinia with judicious watering, ample light, and consistent warmth. The plant grows quite slowly and can be used in a wide variety of settings.
Echeveria purpusorum is an excellent choice in a desert garden or rock garden in hot, dry climates. Indoors, these succulents make attractive potted plants or additions to collections of succulents in planters. It is a nice choice for fairy gardens, wreaths, and living walls.
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