Pachyphytum compactum 'Little Jewel' is one of my favorite photo subjects because of its faceted leaves. I saw this succulent at Home Depot today and was curious what it was. I was confused when I read 'Little Jewel' on the label because, although the leaves are narrow like a 'Little Jewel,' they are not faceted like cut jewels.
Ah, but read the entire description on the label. The species is given as Pachyveria glauca, which is a hybrid between either Pachyphytum compactum OR Pachyphytum hookeri and an unnamed Echeveria. It was developed in Germany in '26, as in 1926. Happy Centennial. Whatever this hybrid is, no doubt it is bigger than my 'Little Jewel,' and it is producing an offset, but where are the faceted jewels? Internet images indicate that the leaves will remain smooth and will not become faceted. The Pachyphytum compactum 'Little Jewel' doesn't look much like Pachyphytum hookeri, which shows smooth, fat leaves in internet images. This is an image of a REAL 'Little Jewel' with its glorious facets:
My question regarding the hybrid is, "Why?" It seems pointless to make a hybrid and lose the defining feature of the (possible) main contributor, and then retain the name of that lost feature. Hard pass.
I still look at the succulents when I go into the stores, but my buying days are probably over for the year. I did buy a Lemon Thyme today, continuing my recent accumulation of hard (not hardy) herbs. Hard herbs generally are perennials with woody stems like rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme. I pot hard herbs the same as succulents, using gritty, well-draining soil and not watering too often. But you can tell from the image that I watered this one in. No more for a while.
