The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

goldmoss stonecrop, moss stonecrop, mossy stonecrop, orpin acre, orpin âcre, wall-pepper

gold moss stonecrop, graveyard moss, orpin sarmenteux, stringy stonecrop

Habit Herbs, perennial, mat-forming, glabrous. Herbs, perennial, mat-forming, glabrous.
Stems

trailing (nonflowering shoots ascending at tip), laxly branched, not bearing rosettes.

creeping and ascending, branched, not bearing rosettes.

Flowering shoots

erect, usually simple, 5–10(–15) cm;

leaf blades triangular-ovate, base short-spurred;

offsets not formed.

creeping or ascending, simple, 10–25 cm;

leaf blades narrowly oblanceolate-elliptic, base short-spurred;

offsets not formed.

Leaves

(usually deciduous, if persistent, then blade white, soft, papery), alternate, (densely imbricate), spreading, sessile;

blade yellow-green, not glaucous, triangular-ovate, terete to semiterete (elliptic in cross section), (2–)5(–8) × 1–4 mm, base obtusely short-spurred, not scarious, apex obtuse.

in whorls of 3, spreading, sessile;

blade pale yellowish green, not glaucous, narrowly rhombic-elliptic to widely lanceolate, subterete, 10–25 × 4–6 mm, base spurred, not scarious, apex subacute.

Inflorescences

cymes, 2–12-flowered or flowers solitary, monochasially (1–)2(–3)-branched;

branches not recurved, rarely forked;

bracts similar to leaves, smaller.

dense cymes or corymbs, 8–40-flowered, (1–)2–4-branched;

branches spreading to widely ascending, sometimes forked;

bracts similar to leaves, smaller.

Pedicels

absent or to 1 mm.

absent or to 0.5 mm.

Flowers

5-merous;

sepals erect to spreading, distinct basally, green, oblong-ovate, unequal, 2–3 × 1.3–2.3, mm, apex obtuse;

petals spreading, distinct, bright yellow, oblong-ovate to lanceolate, not carinate, 5–9 mm, apex acute to acuminate;

filaments yellow;

anthers yellow, (oblong);

nectar scales yellowish green, square.

5-merous;

sepals spreading, distinct basally, green, widely lanceolate to oblong, often unequal, 3.5–5 × 0.8–1.5 mm, apex acute or obtuse;

petals spreading, slightly connate, yellowish, lanceolate to oblong, not carinate, 5–8 mm, apex long-mucronate;

filaments yellow;

anthers reddish;

nectar scales orange, rectangular-spatulate.

Carpels

stellately patent in fruit, distinct, yellowish.

stellately patent in fruit, distinct, yellow-green.

2n

= 40, 60, 80, 100, 120.

= ca. 72.

Sedum acre

Sedum sarmentosum

Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering spring.
Habitat Rock outcrops, rock walls, calcareous habitats, disturbed sites Xeric rock outcrops
Elevation 0-2400 m (0-7900 ft) 0-500 m (0-1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; Asia (Turkey); Greenland; Europe; n Africa [Introduced in South America (Argentina, Chile)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON; QC; e Asia (China) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in c, e Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sedum acre is native in Greenland. It is naturalized in North America across the northern United States and southern Canada from Quebec to North Carolina in the east and from British Columbia to Oregon in the west. Sedum elrodii was found near Somers in Flathead County, Montana. It is known only from a fragmental type specimen. R. T. Clausen (1975) considered it a naturalized form of S. acre with ovate leaf blades, basally connate petals, and procumbent and branched stems from a fleshy rootstock.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Sedum sarmentosum has flowering shoots that are usually reddish. It is naturalized in North America, and in central and eastern Europe.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 215. FNA vol. 8, p. 216.
Parent taxa Crassulaceae > Sedum Crassulaceae > Sedum
Sibling taxa
S. albomarginatum, S. album, S. annuum, S. borschii, S. cockerellii, S. debile, S. divergens, S. glaucophyllum, S. havardii, S. hispanicum, S. lanceolatum, S. laxum, S. leibergii, S. lineare, S. mexicanum, S. moranii, S. nanifolium, S. nevii, S. niveum, S. nuttallii, S. oblanceolatum, S. obtusatum, S. ochroleucum, S. oreganum, S. oregonense, S. praealtum, S. pulchellum, S. pusillum, S. radiatum, S. robertsianum, S. rupestre, S. rupicola, S. sarmentosum, S. sexangulare, S. spathulifolium, S. stelliforme, S. stenopetalum, S. ternatum, S. villosum, S. wrightii
S. acre, S. albomarginatum, S. album, S. annuum, S. borschii, S. cockerellii, S. debile, S. divergens, S. glaucophyllum, S. havardii, S. hispanicum, S. lanceolatum, S. laxum, S. leibergii, S. lineare, S. mexicanum, S. moranii, S. nanifolium, S. nevii, S. niveum, S. nuttallii, S. oblanceolatum, S. obtusatum, S. ochroleucum, S. oreganum, S. oregonense, S. praealtum, S. pulchellum, S. pusillum, S. radiatum, S. robertsianum, S. rupestre, S. rupicola, S. sexangulare, S. spathulifolium, S. stelliforme, S. stenopetalum, S. ternatum, S. villosum, S. wrightii
Synonyms S. elrodii
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 432. 1753 , Bunge: Enum. Pl. China Bor., 30. 1833 ,
Web links