Mexican snowball
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Forgiving Among the more tolerant plants here.
Also called Mexican gem, Mexican Ghost Plant, Mexican Hens and Chicks, Mexican Snow Ball and white Mexican rose.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sunRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exceptionPenn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H2 — 1–5°C 1–5 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Listed as non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Listed as non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Pale dry areas across the upper leaves only
Affected tissue goes pale and then papery, and the boundary follows where the light falls rather than the shape of the leaf.
Its source names full sun, yet a leaf grown in lower light has thinner tissue than one grown in sun, and it scorches if moved into strong light in one step.
Telling it apart: Which side. Damage confined to the lit side is light; damage spread evenly is not.
RHSDiagnose yellowing leaves on this Mexican snowball- Swollen, darkening leaves that come away at a touch
A leaf of the Mexican snowball that should be firm gives under light pressure and stays dented, and those beside it follow within days.
Its source describes well-drained soil. Past that, a plant built to survive drought has no mechanism for shedding the excess, and the tissue breaks down rather than simply looking unwell.
Telling it apart: Press one gently. A dehydrated leaf is leathery and springs back; a waterlogged one stays dented.
RHSDiagnose leaf drop on this Mexican snowball- The whole plant sags between waterings
Posture goes before colour. A thirsty Mexican snowball looks deflated rather than diseased, and the compost has shrunk away from the side of the pot.
Soil described as well-drained still has to hold some water. Once it is dry right through, the roots have nothing to take up and the leaves lose the pressure that holds them firm.
Telling it apart: How fast it recovers. A thorough watering lifts a thirsty plant within hours; roots that are damaged do not respond.
RHSDiagnose drooping on this Mexican snowball
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Mexican snowball.
Routine care
- Watering
- During growth water moderately; while dormant give no water.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Give a balanced liquid fertiliser two or three times during the growing season.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- They propagate easily from cuttings or leaves, or by dividing the offsets (“pups”) the plant produces.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Sow seed once ripe, or in spring take root, stem or leaf cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by vine weevils, aphids and mealybugs. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Move something and watch
Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.
Photographs
About the plant
Echeveria elegans, the Mexican snow ball, God's Throne, Mexican gem or white Mexican rose is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae, native to semi-desert habitats in Mexico.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- NE. Mexico (to Veracruz)World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026NE Mexico to VeracruzNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026MexicoRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- subtropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- succulent subshrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Herbaceous Perennial, Perennial, Succulent; habit clumping, mounding, roundedNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Clump forming (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height up to 8 in; width 4–12 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height Up to 10 cm; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers gold/yellow, orange, pink; blooms in spring, winterNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers pink in spring and winter; yellow in spring and winterRHS · read 13 September 2026
Other Echeveria
Blue EcheveriaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Blue EcheveriaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Copper RoseSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Moulded wax succulentSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Painted LadySourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Red echeveriaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
More of the Crassulaceae family
Burro's tailLeaves soften and curl inward
Flaming KatyA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Jade plantPale dry areas across the upper leaves only
Aeonium haworthiiSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Aeonium undulatumSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Biting StonecropSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Plants with similar care
Aloe veraMushy tissue at the base of the aloe vera
Baby rubber plantLeaves turn glassy from the stem outward
Bunny ears cactusLeaves go soft and slightly see-through
Crown of thornsLeaves soften and curl inward
HoyaDry scorched spots after a move into a sunnier spot
String of heartsNew leaves arrive smaller and paler than the ones below
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.