color

[Spination]

2017 03 07 Echeveria Giant Purple X800.jpg (224.83 KiB) Viewed 1598 times

[Viegener]

One of my faves. I keep trying to bid on this one on eBay but obviously everyone else likes it too!

This one and 'Romeo'

[Spination]

I have to confess, it is my favorite. The evidence to this crime is the below "family photo" just taken. They're all from Germany, and to your relief I have plenty enough and can't be accused of being one of those bidding against you in the future. I have a bunch of 'Ebony' too, but I still like the purple more.

2017 03 08 Echeveria agavoides Purple family photo a x750.jpg (304.65 KiB) Viewed 1595 times

Hard to pick a favorite, but I have a special feeling towards the big one pictured in the first post...it was my first, and it's about a foot in diameter. The one blooming in the above photo upper center is a very fine specimen, so I like that one a lot too. The small twins on the right are cool, and the one I acquired as "crested" lower center is another favorite. It's a single stem, with what looks to be 1/2 dozen rosettes coming out of it. I think I could get away with removing one or two rosettes crammed in between the larger 3, and root them. I wonder if they in turn would then just grow individually, or start growing more rosettes like the mother plant they would be taken from? Is that freak growth form genetic, or just an oddball individual that grew funny? The only way to find out would be to cut off a rosette at the stem, grow it, and see what happens. It would be super awesome if it in turn would start growing more rosettes too.

[Viegener]

It's definitely at the top of my Echeveria wish list. 'Ebony' is overrated I think, desirable to people because it's expensive, but it's hardly different from a well-grown 'Lipstick'.

Also very nice is 'Frank Reinelt' which has great coloring all year.

[Geoff]

Don't think those are Echeveria agavoides cultivars, but Echeveria colorata cultivars.

[Spination]

I respectfully disagree. It might be the color which creates confusion. I do have colorata as well. Colorata is described as 13-20 cm, with 20 cm < 8", although I've not had one anywhere near that big. This purple form of agavoides can get a foot across (maybe larger?), with my oldest one as an example. Flowering is consistent with my other agavoides, including Ebony and Lipstick.
Here are photos from my files which might better illustrate characteristics.

Actual colorata

2015 05 22 Echeveria colorata X750.jpg (113.26 KiB) Viewed 1576 times

My oldest one after I got it some 4 years ago, obviously grown in shadier conditions. In low light and shade, they lose their color. It's the same plant in the 1st post. All the others in the second post are from the same grower in Germany, all with the same ID. They are younger plants however.

2014 06 09 Echeveria agavoides Purple Black Tips f X750.jpg (189.31 KiB) Viewed 1576 times

It's first blooming event for me the following year

2015 02 07 E agavoides Giant Purple Black Tips d X750.jpg (285.05 KiB) Viewed 1576 times

A comparison shot with other known agavoides spring last year

2016 02 24 Echeveria agavoides group X800.jpg (321.19 KiB) Viewed 1576 times

[Spination]

I think this would help

http://www.crassulaceae.ch/de/artikel?a ... A&aID=2456" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.crassulaceae.ch/de/artikel?a ... A&aID=4944" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Spination]

'Ebony' is overrated I think, desirable to people because it's expensive, but it's hardly different from a well-grown 'Lipstick'.

Also very nice is 'Frank Reinelt' which has great coloring all year.

That's something I largely agree with. Although there's 'Ebony' out there which are in actuality 'Lipstick' being misrepresented (caveat emptor)... there are actual 'Ebony', and then there are 'Ebony'! There is dramatic variation in the degree of black, and the really worthwhile ones are when the black is pervasive, very dark and extending deep down the leaf, rather than adorning the leaf tip like most Lipstick (although even with Lipstick the degree of red can vary greatly as well). They definitely are not all created equal when it comes to the degrees of redness or blackness. I have 12 of them, acquired from different sources, and always having endeavored to get ones more and more with the true black which extends into the leaf. That said, I have also found that the season and lighting can greatly influence the manifestation of the black coloring on the leaf. In a single year, the same plant can go from awesome, to "dud", and vice versa with better or worse lighting conditions. In my opinion, those super awesome Ebony specimens are not overrated at all. Even ones I acquired which were initially very lovely, I have had trouble maintaining the blackness of the plant. The problem there is a personal one. They're expensive, and I don't feel comfortable placing them outside where when properly acclimated to getting the type of lighting that best brings out their color without burning, they would then look their best. As such, I keep them hidden and protected in shelter, where they just don't color up as nicely or easily as do the red variants sold by different names (Purple, Romeo, etc).

I also have E. 'Victor Reiter', another Frank Reinelt of Capitola creation, and considered one of his best Echeverias. It's a hybrid of E. agavoides X E. cuspidata, and it's color too can vary seasonally from quite red, to reddish tips.

I have found that my 'Purple" retains it's color now year round getting shade cloth protected sun from sunrise until it passes too far west traveling overhead. It's a bright light, not actually shade, but the shade cloth filters out enough light to prevent burning. It's always colored up now, but the intensity of it is somewhat dependent on seasonality. We're still late winter and on the cusp of spring, but it's already looking about as good as it gets.

Better than average Lipstick

2015 05 22 Echeveria agavoides Lipstick X750.jpg (148.42 KiB) Viewed 1569 times

Better than average Ebony. I think they can get even more awesome, but I think this one of mine is not too shabby.

2015 05 22 Echeveria agavoides Ebony X750.jpg (166.4 KiB) Viewed 1569 times