Native to:
Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, East Aegean Is., Greece, Gulf States, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Oman, Palestine, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Yemen, Yugoslavia

Introduced into:
Baltic States, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Norway, Ontario, Québec, South European Russi, Sweden, Utah, Vermont

Doubtful:
Libya

SEDUM HISPANICUM

Family:- CRASSULACEAE

Common Names:- Spanish stonecrop

Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Sedum (L) A name used by the Roman naturalist and philosopher

Pliny, reference to the plants habit of ''sitting'' on rocks etc.

Hispanicum (L) From Spain, Spanish, Hispanic.

General description:- Usually annual, but sometimes biennial or perennial;

hairless or wholly or partly covered with glandular hairs.

Stem:-

1) 7-15 cm, branched, ascending.

Leaves:-

1) 7-18 mm, rosettes with leaves alternate, oblong-spatula-shaped, flat, glabrous,

concentrated towards the base semiterete, subacute, glaucous.

Flowers:-

1) 6- or 7(-9)-merous, subsessile, numerous, in unilateral bracteate cymes.

2) Bracts leaf-like.

3) Petals 5-7 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, white with pink mid-vein.

4) Styles c. 0·75 mm.

Fruit:-

1) Follicles, stellate-patent, smooth or with glandular hairs, pale pink or whitish.

Key features:-

1) Flowers 6- to 9-merous.

2) Styles c. 0·75 mm.

3) Follicles stellate-patent.

4) Leaves at least twice as long as wide, linear to linear-oblong, terete or

semiterete.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Dry, exposed or semi-shaded rocky places, screes and clearings in

woodland. (0-)300-1800 m.

Distribution:- Throughout Greece, except many of the smaller islands. -

Widespread in C & S Europe and SW Asia. Rare on Crete known only from Afendis

Kavousi in the east and a couple of locations centre and to the west.

Flowering time:- May-July, sometimes later.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton