It is an Aeonium & a nice one at that! It is one of the Catlin hybrids. You got it for a steal at a buck! =) It looks wonderful! They do change color through the year.

thanks! i wilk do some research on it. i had it infront of my house where it got a little more sun then this spot, may move back, depending what i find out. she was selling more plants some smaller then this one, but ive had this one for about a month now, and has done a lot of growing.

are these easy to propagate?

Black/purple Aeoniums need sun to maintain their colour.

My A.arboreum "Schwartzkopf" will start to go green if it doesn't get lots of sun or bright light.

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Joe, if yours is 'Zwartkop' (note spelling), it will not go green with less sun. Some of the other hybrids by Jack Catlin will do that. If anything, 'Zwartkop' will have a little green (lighter color) in the center of a rosette, like this one:
click for larger
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Other Catlin hybrids will go from almost all dark to this:
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Mamas, You can propagate these, but it may be better to wait for Autumn, during their growth period. Right now they're going into dormancy cycle.

Rosemarie - I was correct with my spelling.http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeonium_arboreum

In winter in the UK, This plant will lose some of its purple colour. As soon as strong sun returns it goes a deep purple again.

Yes, I agree this plant loses some of its dark coloring in winter months & regains it in strong sun.

Joe, there is much misinformation on the web, and Wikipedia is no exception, where facts are not checked or monitored by anyone, except those uploading the information.

In plant nomenclature, the name first validly published is the correct one. For years now, people have been mistakenly using the name 'Schwartzkopf' ('Schwarzkopf'-spelled 2 ways on Wikip), which is shown in parentheses in the Wikipedia article (meaning it is a synonym). The name under the photo at the link you gave is also incorrect, doubly so for having f. nigrum included.

Hoping to help clear up the confusion, here is the listing, showing the the valid name & synonyms (invalid names) of this plant:

Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop' Boom, Succulenta 38 (6): 85-87 (1959)

syn. Aeonium arboreum 'Schwarzkopf' Jacobsen, Das Sukkulentenlexikon 32 (1970)
nom. illegit., ICNCP art. 10.1

___ Aeonium arboreum 'Nigrum' M.J. Martin, Cact. & Succ. Journ. Gt. Brit. 33
(2): fig. on 13 (1971) nom. illegit., ICNCP arts. 10.1, 17.9

(also known as 'Blackhead', 'Tete Noire' and 'Black Rose')

Leaves entirely blackish purple. Cultivar of Dutch origin.

I stand corrected! (said the man in the orthopaedic shoes)

, Joe!

Wow :D

Do we water Aeoniums during their dormancy periods?

The name 'zwartkop' is likely of Dutch descent .
Zwart- Black
Kop- head (in Dutch)
And 'Schwarzkopf' is likely of German descent.
Scwarz- Black
Kopf- Head (in German)
This name miss-hap probably occured as the name was translated between the two languages.i can see how it could easily happen, as the two languages are very similar.

FluffyClou, you can water them while they're in dormancy, just do it when dry. You will probably/should not see any growth & that is okay.

Zeck, that is exactly correct on word meaning. Yes, the plant is of Dutch origin. Thanks for the explanation. =)

soo I have been super busy lately.. and haven't been on to check the site. SO from what I read is I shouldn't water til its dry .. .I have been watering everyday or every other day since its been over 100 here, Maybe I should stop. - its not growing in height but its growing wide with babies around it.. Is this the dormancy period? I am confused.

They are starting to come out of dormancy, but you shouldn't be watering that often, mamas - once a week is sufficient.

was at the beach this weekend and saw these babies.. is this what i have?