Scientific Name
Sedum polytrichoides 'Chocolate Ball'
Common Name(s)
Chocolate Ball Stonecrop
Synonym(s)
Sedum 'Chocolate Ball'
Scientific Classification
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sempervivoideae
Tribe: Sedeae
Genus: Sedum
Description
Sedum polytrichoides 'Chocolate Ball' is a mat-forming succulent with slender, ascending, densely leafy stems. It grows up to 8 inches (20 cm) tall with a spread of 14 inches (35 cm). Leaves are needle-like, dark green with hints of black in summer, adding in dark red-brown in cold weather.
The flowers are small, star-shaped, yellow, and appear from mid-summer to early fall.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 8a to 10b: from 10 °F (−12.2 °C) to 40 °F (+4.4 °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 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 will start there, you can add a very thin covering of soil. 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.
Origin
Sedum polytrichoides 'Chocolate Ball' is a cultivar of Sedum polytrichoides.
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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