Scientific Name
Sedum lineare Thunb.
Common Name(s)
Carpet Sedum, Linear Stonecrop Herb, Needle Stonecrop, Stonecrop
Synonym(s)
Sedum anhuiense, Sedum lineare var. albomarginatum
Scientific Classification
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sempervivoideae
Tribe: Sedeae
Genus: Sedum
Origin
Sedum lineare is native to southeastern China and Japan. It grows in low mountains, rocks on grassy slopes, and plains.
Description
Sedum lineare is a mat-forming succulent with fleshy, very slender, branched stems with light green or pale greenish-yellow leaves. The stems are up to 12 inches (30 cm) long, ascending or growing along the ground. Leaves are fleshy, narrow, and tapered but not sharply pointed. They are up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) long and 0.08 inches (0.2 cm) wide.
The flowers are yellow, star-shaped, 5-merous, and appear in lax few- to many-flowered cymes above the foliage from late spring to early summer.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 7a to 11b: from 0 °F (−17.8 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
When growing Sedums, keep in mind that these plants need very little attention or care. They will thrive in conditions many other plants thrive in but 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 usually enough to get the plant started there. They will send out roots from wherever the stem touches the ground and root itself. If you would like to ensure further that the plant will start there, you can add a very thin covering of soil over the plant.
You can break off one of the stems for taller 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.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Sedum.
Cultivars
Links
- Back to genus Sedum
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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