In september, I visited a very rare belgian Sempervivum biotop.
S. x funckii var. aqualiense is the most rare plant of Belgium and live only in one rock station ("La Heid des Gattes") in Liège Provincy, East of the Aywaille city.

The cliff where plants live is very dangerous and photos are difficult to make.
The presence of this hybrid (tectorum x montanum x arachnoideum) is difficult to understand. This station is isolated from the geographical distribution of the Sempervivum genus and no parent are present.
Two solutions are possible: an artificial introduction or a relic population.
It is possible that the second solution is good because other rare plants live there

All pictures: 28 september 2015.























An other Crassulaceae: Hylotelephium telephium

Thank you for the great photos and information Oliver . This seems a most wonderful place to visit .
I looked it up and found this short video .https://youtu.be/fJ5BpSc2Heg

Fascinating mystery!

Paddy said:Thank you for the great photos and information Oliver . This seems a most wonderful place to visit .
I looked it up and found this short video .https://youtu.be/fJ5BpSc2Heg

Exactly, Paddy.
You can see another video here (in french): https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
This video explain the scientific study with S. x funckii var. aqualiense. The Botanic Garden Meise make genetic and demographic studies with this plant.

Olivier, thank you for posting such an fascinating find.
I will watch both yours and Paddy's link when I get home later this afternoon.

Very exciting find.

My link is a dud : Just Google ' la heid des gattes' and it comes up top of page

Here you go Paddy. What a beautiful part of the world that is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Both videos are amazing.
Olivier, that is some steep climbing. Many interesting plants in the video.

Yes, Lynn. This time, it was a little dangerous

i will be close to aywaille last week of december, so i will be looking for sempervivums when i go walking.

Snarfie, I hope you will be taking lots of photos, and that you will share them with us. What an adventure.

yes that would be so great to see!!

No photo's of sempervivums unfortunately. However i have found two groups of sempervivum. I've seen them around some ruins on an hill, but didn't have my phone around to make photo's. I could not make sure if they were wild or planted there a long time ago.
But i have seen some sedums.

Very nice snarfie.

How exciting to see these in the wild!! Thanks Snarfie

snarfie said:No photo's of sempervivums unfortunately. However i have found two groups of sempervivum. I've seen them around some ruins on an hill, but didn't have my phone around to make photo's. I could not make sure if they were wild or planted there a long time ago.
But i have seen some sedums.

=> Petrosedum rupestre and Sedum album

Locality of Sempervivum x funckii aqualiense is here: https://www.google.be/maps/pla...

What a beautiful part of the world.
I went back to the beginning of this thread to look at your wonderful photos of Sempervivum x funckii aqualiense. What a sweet little semp.