''Petrosedum rupestre'', also known as reflexed stonecrop,
Jenny's stonecrop, blue stonecrop, stone orpine, prick-madam and trip-madam, is a species of
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
succulent
In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the family
Crassulaceae
The Crassulaceae (from Latin ''crassus'', thick), also known as the stonecrop family or the orpine family, are a diverse family of dicotyledon flowering plants characterized by succulent leaves and a unique form of photosynthesis, known as Crass ...
, native to northern, central, and southern Europe.
Description
''Petrosedum rupestre'' plants are typically up to 10 cm high, with sprawling stems and stiff foliage resembling
spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...
branches, with softer tissue. The leaves are frequently blue-gray to gray but range to light greens and yellows; the flowers are yellow. Like many ''Sedum'' species, it has a prostrate, spreading habit.
Cultivation
''Petrosedum rupestre'' is a popular
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
, grown in gardens, containers, and as houseplants. It is drought-tolerant. There are named cultivars with
variegated
Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rainforests, and this habitat is the s ...
(multi-colored) leaves. Through
vegetative cloning
Vegetative reproduction (also known as vegetative propagation, vegetative multiplication or cloning) is any form of asexual reproduction occurring in plants in which a new plant grows from a fragment or cutting of the parent plant or speci ...
it is propagated from cuttings.
This sedum is prone to
fasciation (cristate forms), which produces attractive cactus-like forms, with irregular curves. However it reverts easily, so all normal offshoots need to be removed quickly to maintain the cristate form.
''Petrosedum rupestre'' is occasionally used as a salad leaf or herb in Europe, including the United Kingdom.
It is said to have a slightly
astringent
An astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin ''adstringere'', which means "to bind fast". Calamine lotion, witch hazel, and yerba mansa, a Californian plant ...
or
sour
The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...
taste.
References
Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ Peter Lapshin
External links
*
Drought-tolerant plants
Flora of Denmark
Flora of France
Flora of Germany
Flora of Italy
Flora of Norway
Flora of Poland
Flora of Portugal
Flora of Slovakia
Flora of Spain
Flora of Sweden
Flora of Switzerland
Flora of the Czech Republic
Garden plants of Europe
Groundcovers
Plants described in 1755
reflexum
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Crassulaceae-stub