Temperature
50–80°F
Keep away from winter window glass and heating vents.
Tree aeonium
Aeonium arboreum
Tree aeonium wants direct light and water every 9 to 18 days, once the top two inches are dry. Non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Light
Direct
LowMediumBright indirectDirect
A south or west window within two feet. Dark cultivars need the most light of all or the colour washes out to green.
Water
Every 9–18 days
Baseline for a 6-inch pot indoors. Check first: water when the top two inches are dry, not on a schedule.
Humidity
20% and up
Fine in normal household air. Prefers 40%.
Difficulty
Moderate
Scores 3 of 5: Scores 3 of 5: it grows in winter and rests in summer, the opposite of nearly everything else on a windowsill. Watering it on a normal summer schedule during dormancy is what kills it.
Habit
Rosette
Grows to 12–48 inches. No support needed.
Non-toxic to cats and dogs
Eating a large amount of any plant can still cause mild stomach upset.
Detail for cats → Detail for dogs →
What each authority says
- ASPCA
- No record page found under any name tested.
- NC State Extension
- Entry exists and records no poison data.
Light
Direct light. A south or west window within two feet. Dark cultivars need the most light of all or the colour washes out to green.
Water
Every 9 to 18 days in a 6-inch pot, when the top two inches are dry.
Treat the interval as a starting point and the test as the actual instruction. Pot size, light level and season all move the number.
| Method | soak and dry |
|---|---|
| Test before watering | the top two inches are dry |
Soil and potting
Two parts cactus mix, one part perlite.
Repot roughly every 3 years, or when roots come through the drainage holes and water runs straight through without absorbing.
Common problems
Ranked by how often each turns out to be the cause for this species. Each links to a diagnosis page with the causes ranked for this species.
- Leaf drop this week
- Root rot act today
- Leggy growth monitor
Pests
Recorded for this species. Each links to identification and treatment.
Propagation
Stem cutting in soil. Roots in 14 to 35 days.
A cutting without a node will not root. It may stay green in water for months and never produce a single root, because it has no growth point.
| Preferred method | stem cutting |
|---|---|
| Medium | soil |
| Time to root | 14–35 days |
| Node required | Yes |
| Best season | Spring and summer |
Sources
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Aeonium arboreum (consulted; entry exists and records no poison data.) Checked 2026-09-12.
- Wikidata entity Q138279 — taxonomy and entity identity.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — Aeonium arboreum Accepted name; family Crassulaceae. Checked 2026-09-12.
- Photograph: H. Zell, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-02
Tony Valcarcel is the editor and publisher of this database, not a horticulturist
or a veterinarian. Every fact above is drawn from the sources listed, and
toxicity severity is reported only where one of them stated it.
How this is sourced.
Last updated 2026-09-02