#sempervivoideae

[animalids]

Mexican Snowball, wild type (Echeveria elegans), in cultivation.

Photo by Eduardo Carbonell 

[animalids]

Mexican Snowball (Echeveria elegans)

Why not start with one of the most common and complicated rosette succulents in cultivation? This beautiful plant has an absolutely horrible number of hybrids and cultivars, so it’s probably the worst one I could’ve started with, but it’s also the one I see most often at stores, and one I own at least four (possibly six) of, so it seems fitting.

Native range: Mexico

Habitat: Rock crevices and rocky outcroppings in semi-arid habitats in the Chihuahuan-Tehuacan Deserts. Can grow outside year-round in hardiness zones 9-12 in partial to full sun. Does best in sandy or porous, dry to medium-moist soil, that must be well-draining for the plant to thrive.

Propagation: Seeds, root cuttings, leaf cuttings, stem cuttings/chicks

Synonyms, varieties, cultivars, and hybrids under the cut

Synonyms:

Echeveria perelegans

Echeveria potosina

Accepted varieties:

Echeveria elegans var. simulans (syn: Echeveria simulans)

Echeveria elegans var. kesselringiana (syn: Echeveria albicans)

Non-accepted varieties:

Echeveria elegans var. hernandonis

Echeveria elegans var. tuxpanensis

Cultivars or trade names:

Echeveria elegans ‘Gray Red’

Echeveria elegans ‘Josalyn’

Echeveria elegans 'Potosina'

Echeveria elegans ‘El Chico’

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ (probably actually E. halbingeri, but labelled E. elegans by breeders)

Hybrids:

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria sp. (syn: Bradburyana; Bergeranthus; Brad Bryana)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria sp. (syn: Violet Queen, Echeveria subsessilis)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria agavoides (syn: Gilva)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria agavoides (syn: Gilva 'Blue Surprise')

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria agavoides (syn: Gilva 'Eyeful')

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria agavoides (syn: Gilva 'Red')

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria agavoides (syn: Van Kepple)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria chihuahuaensis (syn: Momoko)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria colorata (syn: Elora)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria colorata (syn: Ghost Buster)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria colorata 'Mexican Giant’ (syn: Oujisama)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria derenbergii (syn: Fallax)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria globulosa (syn: Clara)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria haagai 'Tolimanensis'

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria halbingeri ‘San Joaquin’ (syn: Hime-momiji)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria halbingeri ‘San Joaquin’ (syn: Tenshi; Angel)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria laui (syn: Marga)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria lilacina or Echeveria ‘Lola’ (syn: Tynie Burger)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria lilacina (syn: Hohobeni)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria pulidonis (syn: Alfred)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria pulidonis (syn: Hanazukiyo)

Echeveria ‘Hanazukio’ x Echiveria simulans (syn: Coquetiish)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria pulidonis (syn: Hercules)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria pulidonis (syn: Schichi-Kuksi)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria subrigida (syn: Lucida)

Echeveria elegans x Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ (syn: ‘Heiwa’)

Echeveria elegans var. kesselringiana x Echeveria colorata (syn: Babydoll)

Echeveria elegans var. kesselringiana x Echeveria colorata 'Lindsayana' (syn: Lindsayana x elegans)

Echeveria elegans var. kesselringiana x Echeveria diffractens (syn: Early Spring)

Echeveria elegans var. kesselringiana x Echeveria sp. ‘El Encina’ (syn: Chubby)

Echeveria elegans var. kesselringiana x Echeveria laui (syn: Sora)

Echeveria elegans var. kesselringiana x Echeveria ‘Blue Bird’ (syn: Hakuchou)

Echeveria elegans var. kesselringiana x Echeveria 'Christmas’ (syn: Confection)

Echeveria elegans ‘El Chico’ x Echeveria desmetiana (syn: El Chico-peaco; Kibou)

Echeveria elegans ‘El Chico’ x Echeveria moranii (syn: Sprout)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ × Echeveria agavoides ‘Romeo‘ (syn: Momiji; Kyo-Momiji)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria chihuahuaensis (syn: Yumeko)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria colorata 'Lindsayana'

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria colorata (syn: La Paz-Colo)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria colorata (syn: Kouen-no-hana)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria cuspidata (syn: Manji)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria hyalina (syn: La Paz-hyalina)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria laui (syn: Haru ranman)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria lilacina (syn: Asagiri; Morning Fog, Lapazlila)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria purpusorum (syn: Shiran)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria secunda ‘Puebla’ (syn: Miyabi)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria secunda ‘Reglensis’ (syn: Lapaz-Reglensis)

Echeveria elegans ‘La Paz’ x Echeveria simulans ‘Laguna Sanchez’ (syn: L.S-La Paz)

Echeveria elegans 'Potosina' x Echeveria derenbergii (syn: Deresina)

Echeveria elegans 'Potosina' x Echeveria leucotricha (syn: Leucosina)

Echeveria elegans ‘Potosina’ x Echeveria gibbiflora ‘Metallica’ (syn: Perle von Nürnberg; Perle von Nuernberg, Echeveria 'Rainbow')

Echeveria elegans 'Potosina' x Echeveria derenbergii (syn: Dersi)

Echeveria elegans 'Potosina' x Echeveria laui (syn: Pola)

Echeveria elegans x Sedum suaveolens (syn: Blue Lotus)

Echeveria elegans x Graptopetalum paraguayense (syn: Fantôme)

Echeveria elegans x Pachyphytum oviferum (syn: Pfitzeri)

Similar species: Echeveria ‘Pinwheel’, Echeveria harmsii, Echeveria simulans, Echeveria hyalina