Live-forever, Orphine
Sedum telephium

Family: Crassulaceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 50-60 cm high. It has fleshy tubers which produce succulent stems. The stems are not branched. The leaves are fleshy simple and alternate. They grow in rings of three. They are 3-5 cm long. There can be slight teeth along the edge. They are green or light bluish-green. The flowers are in clusters. The petals are reddish-purple. Each flower is about 5-13 mm across. The fruit are small capsules. These split open on one side only.

There are about 400 Sedum species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. In Hobart Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Balkans, Belgium, Bosnia, Britain, Canada, Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, North America, Norway, Scandinavia, Spain, Sweden, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, USA

How it is used for food

The young leaves are eaten in salads served with oil and vinegar. The leaves are also boiled and eaten as a vegetable. It is used as a vegetable in the preparation of soups. The tubers can be cooked and eaten. They can be stewed or fried. They can also be pickled.

It is foraged and eaten in restaurants in Sweden.

Edible parts

Leaves, tubers

How it is grown

It can be grown by seeds, cuttings or division of tubers. The seeds are small and sown on the surface.

Its other names

Local names

Camisgulagi, Mandakulağı, Orpine

Synonyms

Anacampseros albida Haw. ex DC.; Anacampseros arguta Haw.; and others Hylotelephium telephium (L.) H. Ohba; and others Sedum argutum (Haw.) Sweet; Sedum purpureum (L.) Schult.; and others Telephium purpureum Eichw.; and another