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Apr 6, 2013 11:20 PM CST

Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Andrew, If memory serves me correctly, S. 'Fuzzy Wuzzy' has a reputation for showing the occasional unusual form. There are, however, noticeable differences in the offset locations in the two different plants' photos you show. That means to me that they will not end up looking the same general shape initially. While the normal location for offsets is outside of the original parent rosette, it is not that unusual for offsets to appear inside the parent rosette for many different semps. In time, if the two pots of plants are allowed to develop into larger clumps of plants, you should see that they are structured similarly.

Also to clarify an implied question, the modern semps we see today are frequently hybrids from among many different species of Sempervivum. So there will be a lot of variation among the different kinds of hybrids or varieties of semps one may encounter. Also, keep in mind that some varieties of semps are not completely stable. I like to think that the lack of stability does give them a better chance of survival in adverse conditions.

My collection of semps was blasted a bit last summer by unusual heat we had here. While most of the plants did recover, I am finding that a lot of damage was done to their ability to survive through an unusual winter with minimal snow cover. They are emerging from the winter in much poorer condition than in previous winters where we had consistent snow cover. It is very good advice to prepare them for the heat by giving morning sun only and shade in the afternoon.

As has been said before, it is usually impossible to identify a semp once its ID tag has been lost. They are just too variable and there are many similar varieties. While there are some exceptions to this rule, they are few such as 'Oddity' (even here there are a few similar types) and 'Fame Monstrose'.

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