Aeonium ‘Poison’: Origin, Characteristics and Identification

Origin:
Resulting from the mutation of Aeonium Scarlett Ink, which itself comes from Aeonium Ink Painting, itself derived from Aeonium ‘Mardi Gras’.

Common names : »Poison‘ — most widely used name; 毒药 (Dúyào).

Creation date / creator :
October 2020 (China).

Botanical description

The Aeonium ‘Poison‘ is a variegated shrubby Aeonium with relatively thin and elongated leaves.

During the winter, when light is low to moderate, the leaves usually show:

a wide central green band;
two side bands of creamy white to pale yellow;
a thin peripheral edge that can already take on pink or reddish hues when the light is sufficient.

The variegation naturally resembles that of many Aeoniums from the ‘Mardi Gras‘ line, but the foliage of ‘Poison‘ is generally longer and narrower than that of some related mutations.

However, differences can be significant depending on the clone and growing conditions.

Coloration that intensifies with light

One of the main attractions of Aeonium ‘Poison‘ lies in its strong ability to change its colors.

As light exposure increases, the leaf edges gradually start to turn pink then red, while the green areas can also darken.

Under strong light combined with high temperatures and slight water stress, the contrast can become particularly striking.

The foliage can then show a combination of:

Deep green + cream + pink + purplish red.

This ability to produce intense colors is a trait found in several members of the ‘Ink Painting‘ line.

The spectacular feature of ‘Poison‘: wavy leaves

It’s probably the most distinctive characteristic of the Aeonium ‘Poison‘.

When conditions become hot and dry, the leaves can gradually lose their perfectly flat appearance and start to curl, wrinkle, and form waves.

The phenomenon can be particularly striking in summer.

The leaves then seem to almost « curl » around the rosette, giving the plant a very different look compared to how it appears in winter.

This morphological change seems to be promoted by the combination of:

high temperatures;
strong light;
dry atmosphere;
reduced water availability.

So you shouldn’t interpret these deformed leaves as a sign of disease: in the case of ‘Poison‘, this appearance is actually part of the desired characteristics of the cultivar when it appears under the right conditions.

‘Poison‘ and ‘Scarlett Ink‘: how to tell them apart?

The closeness between the two cultivars can sometimes make identifying them tricky.

The Aeonium ‘Scarlett Ink‘ also has very contrasting variegation and can develop strong red hues.

However, ‘Poison‘ seems to stand out mainly by:

1. Thinner and more elongated leaves

Its leaf blade generally gives a more slender impression.

2. A much greater tendency to rippling

Under heat and water stress, the leaves of ‘Poison‘ can become very curly and wavy.

3. An important colorful expression

The edges can take on particularly deep red shades when the brightness is high.

However, caution is still required: the expression of these traits may vary depending on growing conditions and the plant’s physiological state.

An Aeonium that can be relatively delicate

The Aeonium ‘Poison‘ deserves special attention in a collection.

Variegated Aeonium currently ranks among the variegated Aeoniums considered fragile, alongside ‘Scarlett Ink‘ and several other mutations derived from ‘Mardi Gras‘.

A line that blooms easily

Another peculiarity of this family: Aeoniums derived from ‘Mardi Gras‘, and especially the derivatives of ‘Ink Painting‘ like ‘Scarlett Ink‘ and ‘Poison‘, seem to have a relatively strong tendency to bloom.

This characteristic is worth considering for collectors.

In Aeoniums, blooming is indeed a major physiological event since the rosette that flowers is generally destined to die after flowering.

In a highly branched plant, this phenomenon can be relatively easy to manage: other rosettes ensure the longevity of the plant.

On the other hand, in a young plant that has only a single rosette, a bloom can represent a much more significant loss.

Growth and ability to offset

The available observations indicate a rather slow to moderate growth and a rather low ability to produce offshoots.

This is an interesting difference compared to some very prolific Aeoniums.

Propagating ‘Poison‘ may therefore require more patience, especially when it comes to keeping a line perfectly true to the original clone.

Growth speed obviously depends on many factors: light, temperature, water availability, root volume, and the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves.

The question of stability

Stability is probably another concern regarding ‘Poison‘.

Like several Aeoniums from the ‘Ink Painting‘ line, this cultivar can lose the characteristics of the type species through reversion or some other mutational phenomenon.