SEDUM LITOREUM

Family:- CRASSULACEAE

Common Names:- None

Synonyms:- Sedum annuum subsp. litoreumquenn

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

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

Litoreum (L) Growing by the sea.

General description:- Glabrous, erect, rather robust annual

Stem:-

1) Simple or sometimes branched from base, (l-)4-12 cm tall.

Leaves:-

1) 10-20 mm, alternate, obovate-spathulate, subterete, bright green, shortly spurred.

Flowers:-

1) Inflorescence terminal, usually with 2 branches of 5-12 subsessile, 5-merous

flowers.

2) Petals 2.5-3.5 mm, acute to shortly acuminate, pale yellow.

3) Stamens usually 5.

4) Anthers small (c. 0.3 mm), globose, dark red or yellow.

5) Styles 0.1-0.5 mm.

Fruit:-

1) Ripe follicles semi-inferior, spreading.

2) Seeds dark brown, with papillae in paired longitudinal rows.

Key features:-

1) Petals scarcely exceeding the sepals.

2) Stamens usually 5.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Rocky and stony, seasonally damp habitats, particlerly in coastal

regions. 0-1600 m.

Distribution:- Throughout Greece. From France to Cyprus, Turkey and Palestine.

Widespread and common on Crete.

Flowering time:- Apr-May, occasionally later.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton