Burke: Sedum spathulifolium vs. Sedum forsterianum

	Sedum spathulifolium	Sedum forsterianum
	broadleaf stonecrop, spatula-leaf stonecrop	Forster's stonecrop
Habit	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, 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	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	Follicles 5, erect until nearly mature, then divergent above the united basal portion.

	Sedum spathulifolium	Sedum forsterianum
Flowering time	April-June	June-August
Habitat	Coastal cliffs, ledges, balds, and gravelly soil in the foothills.	Roadsides, bluffs, and rocky soil, where escaping from cultivation.
Distribution	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]	Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; southwestern British Columbia to western Washington. [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Introduced from Europe
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	S. acre, S. album, S. brevifolium, S. divergens, S. forsterianum, S. lanceolatum, S. leibergii, S. oreganum, S. rupicola, S. stenopetalum, S. thartii	S. acre, S. album, S. brevifolium, S. divergens, S. lanceolatum, S. leibergii, S. oreganum, S. rupicola, S. spathulifolium, 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, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Sedum spathulifolium

Sedum forsterianum

broadleaf stonecrop, spatula-leaf stonecrop

Forster's stonecrop

Habit

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, 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

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

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