Sedum album (White Stonecrop)

Scientific Name

Sedum album L.

Common Name(s)

White Stonecrop

Synonym(s)

Leucosedum album, Oreosedum album, Oreosedum serpentini, Sedum athoum, Sedum clusianum, Sedum gombertii, Sedum micranthum, Sedum serpentini, Sedum teretifolium, Sedum vermiculifolium

Scientific Classification

Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sempervivoideae
Tribe: Sedeae
Genus: Sedum

Description

Sedum album is a mat-forming succulent with creeping stems and small fleshy green leaves that turn reddish-brown in fall and winter. It grows up to 4 inches (10 cm) tall with a spread of 18 inches (45 cm). Leaves are linear-cylindrical to ovoid-globose and up to 1 inches (2.5 cm) long. The tiny white star-like flowers appear in clusters above the foliage in mid-summer.

Sedum album - White Stonecrop — *Photo via horticulture-indigo.com*

Hardiness

USDA hardiness zone 3a to 8b: from −40 °F (−40 °C) to 20 °F (−6.7 °C).

How to Grow and Care

When growing Sedum, keep in mind that Sedum plants need very little attention or care. They will thrive in conditions that many other plants thrive in but will do just as well in less hospitable areas. They are ideal for that part of your yard that gets too much sun or too little water to grow anything else. A common name for Sedum is Stonecrop because many gardeners joke that only stones need less care and live longer.

Sedum is easily planted. For shorter varieties, simply laying the plant on the ground where you want it to grow is normally enough to get the Sedum plant started there. They will send out roots from wherever the stem is touching the ground and root itself. If you would like to ensure that the plant starts there, you can add a very thin soil covering. You can break off one of the stems for taller Sedum varieties and push it into the ground where you would like to grow it. The stem will root very easily, and a new plant will be established in a season or two.

See more at How to Grow and Care for Sedum.