Small Houseleek, White stonecrop, Sedum, Stonecrop
Sedum album

Family: Crassulaceae

What it is like

Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Late spring, Mid summer. Form: Spreading or horizontal.

Sedum album is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Height (m): 0.1

Where it is found

Rocks, walls, cobbled paths etc, in dry sunny situations on acid or calcareous soils.

Europe. Long naturalized in Britain.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 1

Leaves - raw or cooked. Usually eaten as a pickle, though it can also be added to salads or cooked with other leafy vegetables.

Medicine

Rating: 1

The leaves and stems are applied externally as a poultice to inflammations and are especially recommended for treating painful haemorrhoids.

Antiinflammatory: Reduces inflammation of joints, injuries etc.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Other

Rating: 3

Agroforestry Uses: The plant spreads aggressively and can be used for ground cover in a sunny position amongst plants tall enough not to be overrun by it. It is best planted about 45cm apart each way. Strong growing bulbs such as some lilies will grow happily through this ground cover. The plant can grow in very low moisture levels and has been used as a green covering on roofs. Green roofs are incorporated into the structure of the building, providing habitats for wildlife as well as insulating the building and helping to improve the environmen.t The subspecies minima and the cultivars 'Athorum' and 'Coral Carpet' have been specifically mentioned in this respect.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Ground cover: Ground Cover

How it is grown

Landscape Uses:Alpine garden, Border, Container, Ground cover, Rock garden, Specimen. A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils but prefers a fertile well-drained soil. Established plants are drought tolerant, they grow well in dry soils and succeed on a wall. Requires a sunny position. Plants spread rapidly and aggressively at the roots. If clearing the plant from an area it is quite important to try and remove every part of the plant since even a leaf or a small part of the stem, if left on the ground, can form roots and develop into a new plant. This species has white flowers. All members of this genus are said to have edible leaves, though those species that have yellow flowers can cause stomach upsets if they are eaten in quantity. Plants in this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. Special Features: Attractive foliage, Not North American native, Invasive. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. An evergreen. The plant growth habit is a runner spreading indefinitely by rhizomes or stolons.

Propagating it: Seed - surface sow in spring in well-drained soil in a sunny position in a greenhouse. Do not allow the soil to dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. If sufficient growth is made, it is possible to plant them out during the summer, otherwise keep them in a cold-frame or greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in early summer of the following year. Division is very easy and can be carried out at almost any time in the growing season, though is probably best done in spring or early summer. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.

Best place to grow: Ground Cover; East Wall. In. South Wall. In. West Wall. In.

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 6-8

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

S. athoum. S. balticum. S. turgidum.