''Sedum spathulifolium'' is a species of flowering plant 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 ...

known by the common names broadleaf stonecrop, yellow stonecrop, and spoon-leaved stonecrop. An

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

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 ...

, it is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

to southern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where it can be found often in shade in many types of rocky habitat in coastal and inland hills and mountains.

Description

In general, ''Sedum spathulifolium'' is a

succulent plant 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 ...

producing mats of basal rosettes from a system of

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s. The basal leaves are 1 or 2 centimeters long. They are sometimes coated in a waxy, powdery looking exudate. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a short, erect array of many small flowers with five yellow petals. When in fruit, the five carpels are separate at the apex and connected at base.

Etymology

The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''spathulifolium'' refers to the spade-shaped leaves.

Taxonomy

''Sedum spathulifolium'' is a widespread stonecrop species exhibiting highly variable morphologies throughout its distribution range. While some early literature such as Clausen and Uhl (1944) recognized three subspecies, more recent literature and databases such as the

Flora of North America The ''Flora of North America North of Mexico'' (usually referred to as ''FNA'') is a multivolume work describing the native plants and naturalized plants of North America, including the United States, Canada, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and Greenla ...

and

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...

recognized only two

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

. Clausen and Uhl (1944): * ''Sedum spathulifolium'' subsp. ''pruinosum'' (Britton) Clausen & Uhl Foliage often present on both the flowering branch and the basal rosette, typically heavily pruinose (covered by a layer of white, waxy powder) and are thicker (0.2-0.3 cm). * ''Sedum spathulifolium'' subsp. ''typicum'' Foliage often restricted to the basal rosette part, typically green or glaucous (not pruinose) and are thinner (1.4-2.1mm). Flower larger than that of subsp. ''anomalum'' (0.8-1.7 cm in diameter). * ''Sedum spathulifolium'' subsp. ''anomalum'' (Britton) Clausen & Uhl Foliage often restricted to the basal rosette part and devoid of white, waxy, powdery covering; margin slightly wavy. Flowers smaller than that of subsp. ''typicum'' (0.7-1.1 cm in diameter). Flora of America: * ''Sedum spathulifolium'' var. ''pruinosum'' (Britton) B.Bolivin Primary rosette narrower in diameter (1.5-2.1 cm). Foliage typically covered by a thick layer of white powdery waxy overcast and are thicker (2.1-2.5mm). Flowers slightly larger in diameter (1-1.2 cm) * ''Sedum spathulifolium'' var. ''spathulifolium'' Primary rosette wider in diameter (2.5-3.7 cm). Foliage typically green or glaucous (do not have a thick white powdery waxy powdery covering) and are thinner (1.4-2.1mm). Flowers slightly larger in diameter (1.2-1.6 cm).

Cultivation

This plant is useful as ornamental

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...

in well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. It dislikes winter wet. Numerous

cultivars A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...

have been selected for garden use, of which 'Cape Blanco' and 'Purpureum' have received the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Sedum spathulifolium purpureum CNS-2021-048 D7200 2021 00345

References

External links