@JungleShadows and @banker07 can you help us solve this mystery involving S. 'Circus'?


http://sempervivum-liste.de/Se...
http://www.youngs-garden.com/s...

Lynn,

I don't grow 'Circus' here but I had it from Skrocki way back. It has an unusual form and no tufts as i remember. That was 35 years ago though! A lot of brain cells may have died in the interim!

Kevin

the plant we have in german collections comes from André Smits - an authentic source;

but it looks much different

Too bad you can not add a word to the titles of these duplicate named Semps. 'American Circus' 'German Circus'
but that would be altering the name given by the hybridizer wouldn't it? -- Maybe another option woud be to add the name 'Circus-Smits' or Circus-shrocki' . This suggestion comes from a total non techy but an observer who finds this subject very confusing.

Peter's photos don't show anything unusual?

Marilyn, it's back to the old problem of some one, at some time, giving a name to an incorrect plant. It is a hybrid that originally had it's own name, or a seedling that found it's way into production.
Using 'Circus-Smits' or Circus-shrocki' would be confusing, as it makes it appear that Andre is the breeder if we have 'Circus-Smits'.

We will do more research on it before making a decision.

Peter, can you find out from Andre where he got his from and when?

André now is 77 years old and not online; he only speaks french;

I know that he has a lot of chronicles....but how to get this information

Hmmmm. There must be someone else that could help with this?

@JungleShadows Kevin, who would be left in the US that might have photos and information? Anyone you can think of?

:ynn,

Unfortunately most of us old timers are gone. Circus definitely had unusual form, not quite tubular leaves but you could tell it was going in that direction. I would bet that something like Plastic was derived from it too. Of course with Ed's way of raising seedlings we will never know the parents.

OK here's the description from Betty Bronow's catalog (it was introduced in her list in 1978):

'Circus': A fascinating new form. Narrow, yet thick, velvet leaves that grow straight up. Red tipped, somewhat grey-green leaves become quite red in hot summer. Different!

That jives with my recollection too although I never noticed that it got totally red in MA. My bed had high shade so some of the ones that developed great summer color often didn't. My plant came directly from Ed as we exchanged introductions each year. I had it in '77.

Hope that helps!

Kevin

Yes that does help. It tells us the one circulating in Europe would be incorrect I would think.

Sandi, what does your 'Circus' look like right now? Do you have other photos of it as a mature rosette?

Doesn't look much different from the data base photo.

Does it change color through the seasons? How old is the rosette?

@JungleShadows Kevin, when you look at the green version/season of this, does it look like the description of 'Circus'? http://www.youngs-garden.com/s...

I have SO MANY semps that I don't recall color changes with this particular one. I will definitely watch it more closely now.

I know that Youngs shows it almost all red at some point in the year.