Scientific Name
Sedum lydium Boiss.
Common Name(s)
Least Stonecrop, Mossy Sedum, Mossy Stonecrop
Scientific Classification
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sempervivoideae
Tribe: Sedeae
Genus: Sedum
Origin
Sedum lydium is native to western Turkey. It grows in damp, mossy places on mountains.
Description
Sedum lydium is a succulent groundcover with creeping and rooting branches and perennating sterile rosettes of green leaves that become red-flushed in drought and during the fall and winter. It can grow up to 4 inches (10 cm) tall. The leaves are cylindrical and can measure up to 0.25 inches (0.6 cm) long.
In summer, dense clusters of flowers appear on short leafy stems. The flowers are star-shaped, 5-merous, and white with a red midvein.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 5a to 9b: from -20 °F (-28.9 °C) to 30 °F (-1.1 °C).
How to Grow and Care
When growing Sedums, keep in mind that these plants need very little attention or care. They thrive in conditions 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. Sedum's common name is Stonecrop because many gardeners joke that only stones need less care and live longer.
Sedum is easily planted. For shorter varieties, laying the plant on the ground where you want it to grow is usually enough to start the plant there. The plant 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 want 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.
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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