Species · genus Sempervivum · Crassulaceae

Hens-and-chickens House-leek

Sempervivum globiferum L.

Also known as: Rolling Hen-and-chicks

Growth habit

succulent perennial

Native range

Austria, Italy, Switzerland

Reference · S. globiferum

Cultivars of S. globiferum

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under S. globiferum yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Sempervivum globiferum is a hardy alpine succulent from the mountains of Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, forming tight rosettes that store water in their fleshy leaves. Give it the brightest spot you have, ideally direct sun, and a gritty, fast-draining mix. Water deeply but infrequently, only once the soil has dried out completely; this plant tolerates drought far better than sitting wet.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-21d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 21 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

5–24 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, sharp-draining cactus and succulent mix

Propagation

Roll-off bulbil offsets root readily on their own

Fertilizing

Weak dilute feed once or twice in spring and summer only

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Rosettes are monocarpic, flowering once then giving way to offsets

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-21d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Hens-and-chickens House-leek yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.