Sedum corynephyllum - 20 seeds
Sedum corynephyllum - 20 seeds
An upright variety that forms bare, woody stems in time, appearing like a miniature tree. Bark is textured with large leaf scars. Club-shaped leaves, at ends of branches, are upturned. Sparse flowers are green-yellow.
An interesting rare small sub-shrub that grows to 1 to 2 feet tall and wide with club shaped cylindrical light green leaves clustered at the branch tips with a compact inflorescence bearing only a few cupped barely open flowers with greenish yellow petals and long green sepals in late winter. Plant in full sun to light shade in a well drained soil with occasional irrigation. Hardiness is not known but the plant has not been bothered by temperatures hovering around 30 F. When young it resembles the common Sedum pachyphytum but eventually grows upward into a small sturdy shrub with a thickened trunk. Because of the interesting flowers, Joseph Nelson Rose originally described this plant in 1905 in the monotypic genus Corynephyllum and used the specific epithet viride to describe its green leaves but when combined into Sedum by Berger he needed to change the specific name as there was already a Sedum viride described from Japan so the name Sedum corynephyllum was chosen. The name comes from the Greek words 'koryne' meaning "club" or "pestle" and 'phyllon' meaning leaf for the shape of the leaves.
When growing Sedum, keep in mind that plants need very little attention or care. They will thrive in conditions that many other plants thrive in, but will do just as well in less hospitable areas. They are ideal for that part of your yard that gets too much sun or too little water to grow anything else. A common name for Sedum is Stonecrop, due to the fact that many gardeners joke that only stones need less care and live longer. Sedum varieties vary in height. The smallest are just a few inches tall, and the tallest can be up to 3 feet (90 cm). The large majority of varieties are shorter and they are frequently used as ground covers in xeriscape gardens or rock gardens. Sedum varieties also vary in their hardiness. Many are hardy to USDA zone 3, while others need a warmer climate. Make sure the Sedum that you plant is suited to your hardiness zone. Sedums need no additional water or fertilizer. Overwatering and overfertilizing can hurt the plants far worse than not watering or fertilizing.
Sedum is easily planted. For shorter varieties, simply laying the plant on the ground where you want it to grow is normally enough to get the plant started there. They will send out roots from wherever the stem is touching the ground and root itself. If you would like to further ensure that the plant will start there, you can add a very thin covering of soil over the plant.
For taller varieties, you can break off one of the stems and push it into the ground where you would like to grow it. The stem will root very easily and anew plant will be established in a season or two