REFLEX STONECROP

LARGE ROCK STONECROP

Sedum rupestre

Stonecrop Family [Crassulaceae]  

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8Aug

status
statusZalien
 
flower
flower8yellow
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ6 petalsZ7
5-7[-9]
type
typeZclustered
 
stem
stem8round
 
sex
sexZbisexual
 

25th June 2004, Grindleford, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
When in bud the flowers panicle droops, usually holding the un-opened flowers upside down. These must be getting ready to become upright citizens and bloom. A more robust and taller (at up to 35cm) than Rock Stonecrop.


25th June 2004, Grindleford, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
Unlike Rock Stonecrop, the leaves are held out and away from the stem rather than ± parallel to it.


25th June 2004, Grindleford, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
Leaves are more numerous nearer the bottom, spreading thinner towards the summit. Leaves roundish rather than with a flat or concave upper side as Rock Stonecrophas.


25th June 2004, Grindleford, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
Unlike Rock Stonecrop the dead leaves at the bottom of the flower stalk will drop off.


25th June 2004, Grindleford, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
The sterile shoots should be decumbent and rooting in Reflexed Stonecrop, but maybe these are not fully grown. Who knows! Un-like those of Rock Stonecrop they have leaves along their length and not just at the end, which is tassel-shaped in Rock Stonecrop.


2nd Aug 2009, Ex-Windsor High School, Salford, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The sterile shoots are are probably much more like this.


2nd Aug 2009, Ex-Windsor High School, Salford, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The flowers are in small upright, flat-topped groups, but which when in bud, droop over umbrella-handle-like fashion at the top. The photos at the very top of this page show them drooping over.


2nd Aug 2009, Ex-Windsor High School, Salford, Lancs. Photo: © RWD


2nd Aug 2009, Ex-Windsor High School, Salford, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The flowers usually have 6 or 7 petals which are 6 to 7mm long.


2nd Aug 2009, Ex-Windsor High School, Salford, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The sepal teeth are pointed. Un-opened petals look like Phillips screwdriver heads, albeit with 6 or 7 teeth rather than 4.


2nd Aug 2009, Ex-Windsor High School, Salford, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
A side-view replete with much smaller leaves at the top.


2nd Aug 2009, Ex-Windsor High School, Salford, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The flowers look little different to those of Rock Stonecrop, save that the sepal teeth come to a narrower angle, ≤90° (see unopened bud top left) rather than >90° in Rock Stonecrop.


Easily confused with Rock Stonecrop, but that purportedly has flowers with seven petals not six as the norm; is flattish on the upper side of the leaves (rather than roundish as is Rock Stonecrop); and the leaves are much closer to the stem. Unlike Reflexed Stonecrop, the lower leaves of Rock Stonecrop are dead. Rock Stonecrop is slightly taller than Reflexed Stonecrop, and does not have the same tendency for the flowering stems to flop over at the top when the flowers are in bud (not when they are open). Also, on Rock Stonecrop, the leaves on the recumbent sterile stems are in a compact tassel at the end, whereas on Reflexed Stonecrop the leaves are fairly uniform. The leaves of Rock Stonecrop usually have a point at the end of them, lacking on Reflexed Stonecrop.

Reflexed Stonecrop is naturalised mainly on walls, rocks and stony banks, but can frequently be seen escaping from gardens.

Although nominally having six petals, specimens with 5, 6 and 7 petals can be seen on a single flowering stem even on the few photos presented here. So has 6 petals may not be a very reliable identification feature. It can have as many as 9 petals!


  Sedum rupestre  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Crassulaceae  

Distribution
family8Stonecrop family8Crassulaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8sedum
Sedum
(Stonecrops)

REFLEX STONECROP

LARGE ROCK STONECROP

Sedum rupestre

Stonecrop Family [Crassulaceae]  

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