History Of Sedums: Learn About Sedum Stonecrop Plants
Some of my favorite low maintenance plants are sedums. I like to tuck them in amongst a rockery, along paths, in containers and even have a few as houseplants. Once established, these are the type of plant you don’t have to worry about when you go on extended holiday. They are succulents and not only useful as beautiful carefree specimens, but the history of sedums includes use as food and medicine.
Sedums can be found wild in most parts of the world. They are especially adapted to poor soils and can be very drought tolerant. They may be deciduous or evergreen, depending upon type. Additional characteristics vary by plant, with some low growing ground covers, others trailing, hanging specimens and still other varieties are taller vertical spectacles. The most common in the group have leaves that are plump and waxy with starry flower clusters that rise above the foliage – such as Autumn Joy sedum.
Sedum Plant History
The Sedum genus name comes from the Latin ‘sedo,’ meaning “to sit.” They are found in Europe, Asia, North Africa, Mexico and a few are even native to North America. Recognized species go by very colorful names such as Burro’s Tail, Gold Chain, Bird’s Bread, and Creeping Tom. The versatile plants are also in a bit of a tug-of-war surrounding their genus name. Some in the family are now classed as members of Hylotelephium, while others retain their Sedum status.
Such changes continue to occur in the botanical world as scientists unravel the genes of plants and reposition them to reflect more accurate family groups. As garden and greenhouse specimens, sedums have become popular since the early 1900s but were used by collectors as early as the 1800s.
History of Sedums as Food and Medicine
Anything you ingest should be carefully researched. This goes for the edible and medicinal varieties of sedum stonecrop plants. There are over 400 species in the family, some of which could cause illness if ingested. The juice in the succulent leaves and stems can be used topically to quell burn symptoms and on small scrapes and scratches.
One variety, Sedum sarmentosum, was reportedly used in Asia to treat inflammatory conditions. Several species of Sedum are undergoing trials as treatments for pain and swelling, with promising early results. As a food, sedums are used in salads and soups. S. sarmentosum and S. reflexum are the two most notable varieties that have a history of food use.
Fun Types of Sedum Stonecrop Plants
There are many unique forms of sedum plants. Here is a sampling of fun types to grow in your garden:
Groundcovers
Two-Row sedum (S. spurium) – An evergreen, mat forming species with numerous colorful cultivars
Broadleaf stonecrop (S. spathulifolium) – Silver to lime green leaves, branching, low, spreading plant.
Spanish stonecrop (S. hispanicum) – Close set, finely textured leaves that blend seamlessly into each other with blue-gray color.
Upright
Ice Plant stonecrop (Hylotelephium spectabile) – A vertical classic with a huge umbel of tiny starry flowers.
Coppertone sedum (S. nussbaumerianum) – Bronze foliage and orange-gold flowers.
Orpine (S. telephium syn. Hylotelephium telephium) – Bluish purple leaves and deeply hued stems.
Trailing
Burro’s Tail (S. morganianum) – Classic chubby, bluish green leaves reminiscent of a burro’s tail
Carpet sedum (S. lineare) – Tiny buttercup yellow foliage with dense growth and cascading habit.
We love sedums ... have them all over the place. For a decade or more, they were beautiful in fall with their purple flowers - the butterflies loved them and mom used them in flower arrangements. Then the deer started eating them 2 or 3 years ago and have continued to eat them - they munch about the top 2/3 of the plant. It’s really sad.
Question for you! Mom bought those 4 echinachea plants from the garden center - large & already blooming in the pots, flowers are in the orange color family. The flowers are now going to seed. I’m cutting off the seed cones (now black) & saving in a paper bag to plant next year. If the plants were not close to the house, the goldfinches would have already picked the seeds clean! The seeds should be ‘good’, right? Even if the plant is a hybrid? I don’t care if it doesn’t come back the same color, as long as we get a plant/flowers.
If I can get my lazy self outside, I might plant some radishes & kale. My SIL did this earlier in August & now has a nice fall garden. The cukes are totally gone, need to clean out the dead vines & that will give me space to plant inside the fencing - deer love radishes. It’s sunny now, but clouds are all around & supposed to cover us most of the day, so it won’t be so hot in the garden.
Did a web search expecting/hoping to find that based on the name, they'd be good for a rocky area I have.
The name stonecrop derives from the fact that these plants not only tolerate dry, rocky soil but positively thrive in it"
A hardy plant that grows well in shallow soil"
Low–growing sedum spreads along the ground, reaching only a few inches (or less) in height. This makes them perfect for use as a ground cover along paths, in rock gardens, or cascading down a stone wall."
Yep. It's a tough spot to try and plant anything due to not much soil. Grass and weeds manage to grow there and weed wacking them is tough because of all the rough rocks. It eats up the nylon weed wacker string. The rocks are 1-2 foot in diameter and some stick up 1 foot out of the ground. Always had a vision of having something attractive planted there, filling in between the rocks with some of the rocks jutting up out of it.
