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

widow's cross

Habit Herbs, perennial, mat-forming, glabrous. Herbs, annual or perennial (by formation of side shoots), rarely biennial, multi-stemmed from base, glabrous.
Stems

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

ascending, simple or branched, sometimes bearing rosettes.

Flowering shoots

erect, simple, 3–14 cm;

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

offsets not formed.

erect, simple, 6–23 cm;

leaf blades linear, base with 2 sagittate spurs (unique in this species);

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 pale yellow-green, not glaucous, linear to oblanceolate or spatulate, subterete, 5–32 × 1.5–5 mm, base sagittately short-spurred, not scarious, apex obtuse to rounded, (surfaces papillose in rosette).

Inflorescences

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

branches not recurved, forked;

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

cymes, 10–40-flowered, 3-branched;

branches secund or recurved, not forked;

bracts absent or similar to leaves, smaller.

Pedicels

2–8 mm.

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(–7)-merous;

sepals erect, distinct, light green, linear-lanceolate, unequal, 1.3–5.8 × 0.5–1.5 mm, apex acute or obtuse;

petals erect or subdivergent, distinct, white to purple, narrowly linear-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, carinate and slightly channeled basally, 4–10 mm, apex acute or obtuse;

filaments white or pinkish;

anthers red or purple;

nectar scales white, pinkish white, or yellow, square.

Carpels

divergent in fruit, connate basally, brown.

spreading in fruit, distinct, light brown.

2n

= 30.

= 22, ca. 42.

Sedum spathulifolium

Sedum pulchellum

Phenology Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Areas of flat rocks, especially openings in cedar glades, ledges of cliffs, and bluffs, in shallow soil or in living mats of moss on rocks, often on limestone, sandstone, and chert
Elevation 90-500 m (300-1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; GA; IL; KS; KY; MO; MS; OH; OK; TN; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

Sedum pulchellum is found in eastern North America from the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Province in northwestern Georgia and eastern Tennessee, westward through the southern Cumberland Plateau in northern Alabama and southeastern Tennessee, across the interior low plateaus of southern Illinois and central Kentucky and Tennessee, the till plains of Missouri, the Ozark plateaus of Arkansas and Missouri, and the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma, to the Osage Plains of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.

(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. 204.
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. praealtum, 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
Synonyms Chetyson pulchellum, Chetyson vigilimontis, S. vigilimontis
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 227. (1832) Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 277. (1803)
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