Burke: Sedum lanceolatum vs. Sedum spathulifolium

	Sedum lanceolatum	Sedum spathulifolium
	lance-leaved stonecrop	broadleaf stonecrop, spatula-leaf stonecrop
Habit	Carpels 5, erect, distinct, the styles very short, divergent.	Glabrous, glaucous perennial from numerous, stout rhizomes, with numerous sterile shoots and tight, basal rosettes, the flowering stems stout, erect to ascending, 8-20 cm. tall.
Leaves	Leaves alternate, linear-lanceolate and terete to ovate and somewhat flattened, not keeled, 5-20 mm. long, mostly deciduous by flowering time.	Leaves alternate, spatulate-oblanceolate to spatulate-obovate, tapered to the base, strongly flattened but very succulent, 10-20 mm. long and 4-10 mm. broad, strongly overlapping.
Flowers	Follicles 5, erect, united at the base, each with a small gland at the base, and tipped by the erect or divergent, tapered style.	Inflorescence of leafy-bracteate, paniculate cymes; pedicles very short; calyx lobes 5, oblong-lanceolate, 2.5-3.5 mm. long, rounded or obtuse; petals 5, distinct, somewhat recurved, 7-10 mm. long, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, acute; stamens 10, slightly shorter than the petals, 5 attached to the base of the petals.
Fruits	Erect follicles.	Follicles 5, erect until nearly mature, then divergent above the united basal portion.

	Sedum lanceolatum	Sedum spathulifolium
Identification notes	Leaves of flower stems are alternate, terete and not strongly incurved.
Flowering time	May-August	April-June
Habitat	On rocks or gravel in open, dry areas, from sea level to the alpine.	Coastal cliffs, ledges, balds, and gravelly soil in the foothills.
Distribution	Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains and northern Great Plains in the U.S. and Canada. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring west of the Cascades crest and east in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; southern British Columbia to California. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	S. acre, S. album, S. brevifolium, S. divergens, S. forsterianum, S. leibergii, S. oreganum, S. rupicola, S. spathulifolium, S. stenopetalum, S. thartii	S. acre, S. album, S. brevifolium, S. divergens, S. forsterianum, S. lanceolatum, S. leibergii, S. oreganum, S. rupicola, S. stenopetalum, S. thartii
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 lanceolatum

Sedum spathulifolium

lance-leaved stonecrop

broadleaf stonecrop, spatula-leaf stonecrop

Habit

Carpels 5, erect, distinct, the styles very short, divergent.

Glabrous, glaucous perennial from numerous, stout rhizomes, with numerous sterile shoots and tight, basal rosettes, the flowering stems stout, erect to ascending, 8-20 cm. tall.

Leaves

Leaves alternate, linear-lanceolate and terete to ovate and somewhat flattened, not keeled, 5-20 mm. long, mostly deciduous by flowering time.

Leaves alternate, spatulate-oblanceolate to spatulate-obovate, tapered to the base, strongly flattened but very succulent, 10-20 mm. long and 4-10 mm. broad, strongly overlapping.

Flowers

Follicles 5, erect, united at the base, each with a small gland at the base, and tipped by the erect or divergent, tapered style.

Inflorescence of leafy-bracteate, paniculate cymes; pedicles very short;

calyx lobes 5, oblong-lanceolate, 2.5-3.5 mm. long, rounded or obtuse;

petals 5, distinct, somewhat recurved, 7-10 mm. long, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, acute;

stamens 10, slightly shorter than the petals, 5 attached to the base of the petals.

Fruits

Erect follicles.

Follicles 5, erect until nearly mature, then divergent above the united basal portion.

Sedum lanceolatum

Sedum spathulifolium

Identification notes

Leaves of flower stems are alternate, terete and not strongly incurved.

Flowering time

May-August

April-June

Habitat

On rocks or gravel in open, dry areas, from sea level to the alpine.

Coastal cliffs, ledges, balds, and gravelly soil in the foothills.

Distribution

Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains and northern Great Plains in the U.S. and Canada.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]