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Plant Families: Crassulaceae (Stonecrops)

© Gregg Pasterick

I was going to start out by saying I had never seen any type of stonecrop, outside of garden varieties, back in Ohio, but then I glanced through some field guides and lo and behold, there was something in there which looked vaguely familiar; it was Wild Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum). Still, it seems to me I have seen many more stonecrops west of the Rocky Mts. than east. There are a few common varieties in western Washington, and they filled cracks and fissures in the rocks along roadsides in California.

Maybe it seems like there are more stonecrops in the west because there are more rocks out here.

Stonecrops are members of the Stonecrop, or Sedum Family (Crassulaceae). They are, in my opinion, easily recognizable not only for their rocky habitats, but for their star-like flowers and fattish, fleshy leaves.

There are about 30 genera and 1,000 species in the family, many of which are cultivated as ornamentals and novel eye-candy. Jade Trees, which are potted plants in Ohio but four-foot tall flower-bearing masses in southern California, are one such example. Hens-and-chicks, a garden favorite, is another member of the family.

They are found in arid, temperate, and warm temperate regions, particularly South Africa. The family moniker is from crassus, or thick, for the thick leaves of many of its species.

Stonecrops are small shrubs or succulent herbs; the star-like flowers blossom in branched clusters. The flowers have 4 or 5 petals with the same number of sepals. The petals are separate or united, with a scale-like gland at the base of each. There are either the same number of stamens as petals, or twice as many. All of these parts are attached at the base of 3 to several pistils.

Some members of the family spread by vegetative reproduction; little plantlets with a little cluster of roots grow along the leaf edges, drop off or come into contact with the ground, and take root.

Eastern species included Ditch Stonecrop (Penthorum sedoides), Live-Forever (S. purpureum), Moss Stonecrop (S. acre) and the above-mentioned Wild Stonecrop. Some western species are Roseroot (S. roseum), Pacific or Broad-leaved Stonecrop (S. spathulifolium), Powdery Dudleya (Dudleya farinose) and Canyon Dudleya (D. cymosa).

Generally it's not a species of wildflower that leaps out at you unless you are being attentive to what's growing out of the rocks. It does, or can grow in large mats, but somehow it's easy to overlook. I guess that's just my botanical prejudice raising its ugly head once again, huh;

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