Echeveria nodulosa aka Painted Echeveria

Echeveria nodulosa comes from Mexico, including Puebla and Oaxaca. This succulent stores water and keeps its leaves year-round. It belongs to the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae. It grows in deserts or dry land with shrubs. Gardeners call it painted echeveria or painted lady. It lives for years and forms low, spreading clumps.

Its stems branch and hold thick leaves shaped like spoons. The leaves form rings called rosettes. Dark red lines mark each leaf's centre and edge. Each rosette can span about 0.4 feet [0.12 metres]. Stems reach about 0.7 feet [0.2 metres] tall. The RHS gives a wider range for full-grown plants. Height and spread both range from roughly 0.3–1.6 feet [0.1–0.5 metres]. Plants take five to ten years to reach full size. Tall flower stalks rise above the leaves in summer. Flowers have red outsides and pale yellow insides. Chicago Botanic Garden records blooms from May through August.

Use cactus compost that lets water drain well. The RHS lists sand and loam as suitable soils. The plant accepts acid, neutral, and alkaline soil. Indoors, the RHS advises bright light with some filtering. Outdoors, grow it in full sun or part shade. Let plants adjust before you place them in direct sun. Choose a site with shelter when growing plants outdoors. Give moderate amounts of water while the plant grows. Then keep it almost dry through winter. Feed once a month while it grows. Use a balanced liquid fertiliser. It copes with drought and suits dry growing sites. It still needs water while it grows.

The RHS gives it a cold rating of H2. It copes with cool spells but cannot survive freezing. Chicago Botanic Garden lists USDA zones 9–11. The RHS suggests growing it as a houseplant. It also lists pots, patios, greenhouses, and conservatories. The plant suits subtropical planting schemes too. Chicago lists beds, borders, and use as a specimen. Plants can spend summer outside once they adjust to sunlight. Let them adjust in stages. Their marked leaves add colour beyond the bloom season.

The plant needs no routine pruning. The RHS reports few diseases, but pests may attack. Watch for mealybugs, vine weevil, and aphids. Sow seed in early spring to grow new plants. The RHS gives a seed temperature of 18°C. You can also take leaf cuttings in early summer. In spring, split off the small plants called offsets. The supplied sources give no evidence about parts to eat. They also give no evidence about toxicity.