Publication: Fl. Bor.-Amer. (Hooker) 1(5): 227–228 1832.
Description
The Broad-leaf stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium) is a glabrous, mat-forming, perennial herb with slender rootstocks, and propagating by lateral offshoots. It has spoon-shaped leaves congregate at the tips to form tight green rosettes dusted with a chalky bloom that wears away to reveal crimson high-lights masked undeneath. Plants spread by stout branched rhizomes and procumbent or creeping aboveground stems terminating in a rosette. The yellow flowers can vary but bloom in clusters on short stems only around 10 cm tall. The flowers are sweetly fragrant. It is quite variable and usually divided into at least four subtaxa. Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use.
Stems: Rhizomatous, procumbent or creeping, much-branched, bearing terminal rosettes.
Leaves: Basal leaves spreading, petiolate, broadly, spatulate, rounded or truncate, submucronate, papillose marginally, 7-20(-25) mm long, 4-9 mm wide, green, often glaucous or pruinose developing purple highlights in more sun.
Inflorescences (cymes): Flowering stems erect, simple or branched, 3-14 cm tall. Cymes ca. 30-flowered, with about 3 branches, 5-8 cm broad; branches not recurved, forked. Bracts oblong-spatulate or linear, smaller than the leaves of flowering branches, pedicels 2-8 mm long.
Flowers: 5-merous, sweetly fragant, calyx-lobes basally connate, lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, oblong-ovate, or obovate, acute or obtuse, green or yellow-green, glaucous or pruinose, 2.5 x 1.5mm. Petals free or slightly basally connate, linear to oblanceolate, acute, yellow, 7-10 mm. long mm long, basally erect, then widely spreading, filaments yellow, anthers yellow. Carpels slightly spreading.
Blooming season (in habitat): May—July.
Chomosome number: 2n = 30
Origin and Habitat
British Columbia to southern California in both the Coast Ranges and in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada.
Habitat and ecology: Rocky ledges and slopes, mainly Transition Zone.
Cultivation and Propagation
Always an interesting plant and very easy to grow in container or in the rock garden. It is incredibly tough, sun and drought tolerant, but also will do well in shade.
Soil: Require a well drained succulent soil mix. Outdoors it will spread itself through narrow locations between rockery stones. It does not prefer rich loamy soil; gritty dirt with pea gravel suits it.
Wateing: It takes little water & could rot if watered too often. During the growing season, the plants are watered and allowed to dry slightly before watering again. Although they can take a great deal of drought, they seem to do better with regular (but moderated) watering and it is best to refrain from watering it until the rootball has dried out completely. During the winter months, plants are watered very little. Its succulent leaves will store enough water to survive for long time.
Exposition: It need full sun to light shade and tolerates shade, but a sunny spot is nicest, though in warmer climates it needs protection from too much sun because it is not very heat tolerant.
Frost Tolerance: Hardy at least to -12°C (or less).
Uses: This Sedum can form a carpet that drapes over stones or walls. Outdoors on rock crevices with favourable water regime, eastern slopes alpine house, poor, drained soil, shading in summer. Excellent choice for a children’s garden. Good winter effect, developing a bronzy-green colour. This Sedum can take occasional foot traffic and doesn’t require a lot of water.
Medical uses: Hemostat, laxative, sedative, children ailments, hemorrhoids, parturition, women’s ailments, wounds.
Propagation: This is a tough plant which spreads aggressively, division of old plant can be made in spring and late summer; cuttings in summer.
Bibliography
Major references and further lectures
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Hong Qian, K. Klinka “Plants of British Columbia: Scientific and Common Names of Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Lichens” UBC Press, 1998
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International Crassulaceae Network “SPATHULIFOLIUM” http://www.crassulaceae.ch
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PLANTS Profile “41. Sedum spathulifolium” Flora of North America, FNA Vol. 8 Page 202, 221, 222 http://www.efloras.org Web. 5 Aug. 2015
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Le Roy Abrams, Roxana Stinchfield Ferris “An Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States: Polygonaceae to Krameriaceae, buckwheats to kramerias” Stanford University Press, 1923
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Tim Johnson “CRC Ethnobotany Desk Reference” CRC Press, 11 Dec 1998
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Wikipedia contributors. “Sedum spathulifolium.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2 Dec. 2014. Web. 13 Aug. 2015.