OregonFlora: Sedum lanceolatum vs. Sedum divergens

	Sedum lanceolatum	Sedum divergens
	spearleaf stonecrop	Cascade stonecrop, Pacific stonecrop, spreading stonecrop
Habit		Plants perennial, somewhat tufted, glabrous.
Stems		decumbent, becoming erect or ascending, branched; without rosettes.
Flowering shoots		erect, rarely branched, 6–10 cm; stem leaves suborbicular to obovate or oblong, dried stems 1.5–2 mm thick.
Leaves		opposite, rarely alternate, 2-ranked, suborbicular to obovate or oblong, subterete; ± globular, 4–9 × 4–6 mm, green or red, bases slightly clasping; tips rounded; surfaces not glaucous; shiny.
Inflorescences		cymes with 5–25 flowers, 2–3-branched; branches recurved to erect; bracts similar to other leaves or elliptic to broadly lanceolate, 2–5 mm.
Flowers		5(7)-parted; sepals ovate, 2–3 × 1.5–2 mm, green; tips obtuse; petals erect basally, widely spreading from about middle, usually distinct; narrow; ~5 mm, yellow; tips acute or obtuse and with an apiculus; filaments yellow; anthers yellow.
Fruits		widely spreading, fused at base, red or reddish brown to straw-colored.
2n		=16.

	Sedum lanceolatum	Sedum divergens
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion		Rocky slopes, talus, lava. Flowering Jun–Aug. 1200–2300 m. Casc, Sisk. CA, WA; north to AK, northeast to Alberta. Native. Within this species, each pair of leaves is at a right angle to the pair below it, forming two columns of almost round, green to red leaves. This leaf arrangement is unique among our native Sedum. Sedum debile has opposite leaves, but they are glaucous and often whitish, and they form ball-like rosettes. The two species do not overlap in range. Sedum divergens may recall particularly thick-leaved individuals of S. oreganum, but the latter species does not have such neat columns of leaves, and its petals are much longer and nearly erect.
Source		Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 602 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Sibling taxa	S. acre, S. album, S. debile, S. divergens, S. laxum, S. leibergii, S. moranii, S. oblanceolatum, S. oreganum, S. oregonense, S. radiatum, S. spathulifolium, S. stenopetalum, S. thartii	S. acre, S. album, S. debile, S. lanceolatum, S. laxum, S. leibergii, S. moranii, S. oblanceolatum, S. oreganum, S. oregonense, S. radiatum, S. spathulifolium, S. stenopetalum, S. thartii
Subordinate taxa	S. lanceolatum var. lanceolatum
Synonyms	Sedum lanceolatum var. rupicola, Sedum rupicola
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Sedum divergens

spearleaf stonecrop

Cascade stonecrop, Pacific stonecrop, spreading stonecrop

Habit

Plants perennial, somewhat tufted, glabrous.

Stems

decumbent, becoming erect or ascending, branched; without rosettes.

Flowering shoots

erect, rarely branched, 6–10 cm;

stem leaves suborbicular to obovate or oblong, dried stems 1.5–2 mm thick.

Leaves

opposite, rarely alternate, 2-ranked, suborbicular to obovate or oblong, subterete; ± globular, 4–9 × 4–6 mm, green or red, bases slightly clasping;

tips rounded;

surfaces not glaucous; shiny.

Inflorescences

cymes with 5–25 flowers, 2–3-branched;

branches recurved to erect;

bracts similar to other leaves or elliptic to broadly lanceolate, 2–5 mm.

Flowers

5(7)-parted;

sepals ovate, 2–3 × 1.5–2 mm, green;

tips obtuse;

petals erect basally, widely spreading from about middle, usually distinct; narrow; ~5 mm, yellow;

tips acute or obtuse and with an apiculus;

filaments yellow;

anthers yellow.

Fruits

widely spreading, fused at base, red or reddish brown to straw-colored.

=16.

Sedum divergens

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Rocky slopes, talus, lava. Flowering Jun–Aug. 1200–2300 m. Casc, Sisk. CA, WA; north to AK, northeast to Alberta. Native.

Within this species, each pair of leaves is at a right angle to the pair below it, forming two columns of almost round, green to red leaves. This leaf arrangement is unique among our native Sedum. Sedum debile has opposite leaves, but they are glaucous and often whitish, and they form ball-like rosettes. The two species do not overlap in range. Sedum divergens may recall particularly thick-leaved individuals of S. oreganum, but the latter species does not have such neat columns of leaves, and its petals are much longer and nearly erect.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 602
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Sibling taxa