Keeping succulents and pets together easily leads to problems, as anyone who has tried it knows

Editor / Succulent Plant Hub

Cheese is a highly sought-after variety, so its price is naturally not low. So what exactly is its true identity?

Everything must tear away the cloak of illusion, see the essence and principles of things, and make reasonable deductions and conjectures. This is the greatest aspect of modern science, rather than blindly worshipping and following like religious belief, ultimately becoming a sacrifice to faith. --Preface

Before getting to the main point, let me state that I may personally still have many one-sided views and objectively biased ideas, so I ask everyone to provide me with more suggestions and material. Many thanks.

The above are some recognized online images

For a long time, the Cheese variety has troubled the public, and this variety once became the subject of fierce verbal battles at the center of controversy.

After the public gradually accepted the concept that "there is indeed a group of succulents that really look like Peach Eggs or Beauty varieties but are indeed not quite the same," merchants nowadays have launched various Cheese varieties for everyone to consume.

Many people suspect whether many merchants, for the sake of money, do not hesitate to fabricate a variety that does not exist.

First, on the premise of understanding what Cheese is, we need to roughly understand: which genus does the Cheese variety actually belong to? And many succulent lovers are hopelessly confused between Peach Egg and Cheese. Let's first take a look at Peach Egg~

Peach Egg belongs to the genus Graptopetalum, while Star Beauty belongs to the genus Pachyphytum. Below are representative plants of the two genera.

Graptopetalum amethystinum (Rose) Walther, Graptopetalum genus Peach Egg

Pachyphytum brachetii Reyes, Gonzalez & Gutierrez (2007), Pachyphytum genus Brachetii

Actually, when looking at many illustrated guides, I discovered a very strange thing: Peach Egg in the genus Graptopetalum is basically very different in appearance from other plants in the genus Graptopetalum.

But when you compare the flowers of Peach Egg with the flowers of typical Graptopetalum, you will find that the flower morphology of Peach Egg is completely standard Graptopetalum, while the flowers of Pachyphytum are vastly different from Peach Egg.

Below, Graptopetalum flowers, source: Peach Egg

Below, Pachyphytum flowers

Attached is also a sketch, from which it can be clearly seen that Pachyphytum flowers basically have no branching, similar to the flower stalks of some Echeveria. While Graptopetalum flowers are mostly branching, and each branch tip has only one flower.

So we can understand: if you buy a Cheese and it is about to bloom, and the flower morphology is the same as Graptopetalum, then you have definitely been cheated.

Because the generally accepted view is that Peach Egg and true Cheese are not plants of the same genus, and in the genus Graptopetalum, only Peach Egg has the thick-leaf-turned-round morphology.

The above is a Peach Egg in bloom. In the early flowering stage, the genus of the plant can already be distinguished. Graptopetalum flower stalks do not droop, while Pachyphytum mostly begins to droop before even growing longer flower stalks.

Now let's turn to the genus Pachyphytum. This genus is very likeable because basically all have plump round leaves, resulting in great horticultural value.

Two more pictures of Moon Beauty

Egg Beauty

Obviously, among these varieties, many show some characteristics of the Cheese variety, which can also indirectly prove that the Cheese variety may actually be the descendant of some Beauty in the genus Pachyphytum.

The second image below is the accompanying image used by some merchants selling Cheese. The first is the previously mentioned Moon Beauty. They are very similar.

The following content is my personal speculation, though part of it has been confirmed by friends in the community.

Cheese is a Beauty hybrid. The genus Pachyphytum has only 20 original species in total, and only some of these original species show resemblance to Cheese. So the parents that could produce Cheese come from among them, and the characteristics expressed by Cheese also show extreme similarity to several of these original species.

It is worth noting: Peach Egg and other similar plants are not all Pachyphytum. Peach Egg is a Graptopetalum that looks extremely like Pachyphytum.

Let me give another example here: Echeveria agavoides 'Ebony' itself is just an ordinary horticultural variety, simply a domesticated and selected Echeveria agavoides.

Originally this Echeveria agavoides might have been relatively low-key and niche (foreigners do not particularly like this type of plant), until some Asian players or merchants saw it, hyped it up massively, exaggerated its legendary status, and then it soared.

The same principle applies to Cheese. Rational people will think: once something is associated with Cheese, it means it can sell at a higher price and receive more acclaim.

The controversy over the Cheese variety ends here. Everyone has different views. Some succulent lovers simply buy succulents because they like the plump form and do not care about the variety, while of course there are also variety enthusiasts who take it very seriously.

Sharing this article is also in the hope that fellow succulent lovers can treat it rationally and at the same time know a bit more about Cheese. After all, this type of succulent still has quite a few fans~

Next, Hui Zhang will chat with everyone about the watering issue for Cheese. After all, those who can read this article to the end must have at least a little love for Cheese~

You can refer to watering once every one and a half months. If the leaves wrinkle, endure it a little, but if enduring causes problems, Hui Zhang will not take the blame. You should know your own succulent's condition best.

Choose a windy evening for watering. For the following 3-5 days, maintain ventilation and shade. Use an electric fan if necessary. This point is very important.

Regarding the care of Cheese, you can also refer to Peach Egg. Some people also say that Cheese is the result of harsh treatment. If not treated harshly, what you grow is Peach Beauty. This depends on personal preference~

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