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broad-leaf stonecrop, Pacific stonecrop, spatula-leaf stonecrop

green cockscomb

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

rhizomatous, procumbent or creeping, much-branched, bearing terminal rosettes.

erect, pendulous, or prostrate, much-branched, not bearing basal rosettes.

Flowering shoots

erect, simple, 3–14 cm;

leaf blades spatulate-oblong or elliptic-oblong, base not spurred;

offsets not formed.

(axillary), ascending, usually simple, sometimes branched, 10–50 cm;

leaf blades elliptic-oblanceolate, base not spurred;

offsets not formed.

Leaves

alternate, spreading, petiolate;

blade green, often glaucous or pruinose, spatulate, terete to laminar, 7–19 × 4.5–10 mm, base not spurred, not scarious, apex rounded or truncate, submucronate, (surfaces papillose marginally).

alternate, spreading, sessile;

blade green tinged with red, not glaucous, elliptic-oblanceolate, laminar, 40–80 × 13–25 mm, base not spurred, not scarious, apex rounded.

Inflorescences

cymes, ca. 30-flowered, ca. 3-branched;

branches not recurved, forked;

bracts oblong-spatulate or linear, ca. 3 cm, base not spurred.

elongated paniculate cymes, 50–300+-flowered, 3–25-branched;

branches not recurved, forked;

bracts similar to leaves, smaller.

Pedicels

2–8 mm.

absent or to 1 mm.

Flowers

5-merous;

sepals spreading to erect, connate basally, green or yellow-green, glaucous or pruinose, lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, oblong-ovate, or obovate, equal, ca. 2.5 × 1.5 mm, apex acute or obtuse;

petals widely spreading from short, erect base, distinct or slightly connate basally, yellow, linear to oblanceolate, not carinate, 4.5–9 mm, apex acute;

filaments yellow;

anthers yellow;

nectar scales yellow, reniform or nearly square.

(4–)5(–6)-merous;

sepals erect, usually distinct, green, ovate, lanceolate, or elliptic-oblong, unequal, 1.5–9.6 × 1–3.2 mm, apex obtuse;

petals widely spreading, distinct or slightly connate basally, yellow, lanceolate, carinate, ca. 7.5 mm, apex acute or obtuse, mucronate;

filaments yellow;

anthers yellow;

nectar scales yellowish or translucent, subquadrate or reniform.

Carpels

divergent in fruit, connate basally, brown.

widely divergent in fruit, distinct, brown.

2n

= 30.

= 68.

Sedum spathulifolium

Sedum praealtum

Phenology Flowering late winter.
Habitat Cliffs
Elevation 0-100 m (0-300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; c Mexico; Central America (Guatemala) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe (Italy), Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The mature carpels of Sedum spathulifolium have five ribs and prominent lips along the adaxial suture. The flowers are sweetly fragrant.

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

The first record of Sedum praealtum cultivated in the United States is from 1930. It is native in the trans-Mexican volcanic belt. It was reported from Ventura County in 1948 and has naturalized in the vicinity of Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz County.

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

Key
1. Primary rosettes 2.5-3.7 cm diam.; leaf blades not pruinose, glaucous or not, 1.4-2.1 mm thick; flowers 1.2-1.6 cm diam.
var. spathulifolium
1. Primary rosettes 1.5-2.1 cm diam.; leaf blades pruinose, not glaucous, 2.1-2.5 mm thick; flowers 1-1.2 cm diam.
var. pruinosum
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 222. FNA vol. 8, p. 215.
Parent taxa Crassulaceae > Sedum Crassulaceae > Sedum
Sibling taxa
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. sarmentosum, S. sexangulare, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
S. spathulifolium var. pruinosum, S. spathulifolium var. spathulifolium
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 227. (1832) A. de Candolle: Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 11: 445. (1847)
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