stringy stonecrop

not listed

NNA - Not applicable

not listed

Stringy stonecrop is an exotic, evergreen, succulent, flowering plant. It is native to China, Korea, and Thailand. It was introduced, cultivated as an ornamental ground cover, escaped cultivation, and is now naturalized in eastern North America and in central and eastern Europe. It now occurs throughout the eastern half of the United States. It is uncommon in Minnesota, which is at the western extent of its spread. It is found in open woodlands, banks of streams and rivers, parks, cemeteries, roadsides, and disturbed areas. It grows under full sun to light shade in moderately moist to dry areas on loamy or rocky, calcareous or acidic soil. It is drought tolerant and often forms loose mats.

Stringy stonecrop is perennial forb that rises from fibrous roots. Non-flowering (vegetative) stems are fleshy, branched, round in cross section, and 2″ to 12″ (5 to 30 cm) long. They are light green to white and hairless. They do not have a whitish, waxy coating (glaucous), and they are rarely tinged reddish or pinkish. They may lie flat on the ground (prostrate) or curve upward from the base (ascending). Where a node contacts the ground the stem produces roots. It may separate at this point creating a vegetative offset, a new plant.

Flowering stems are 2″ to 8″ (5 to 20 cm) long. They are unbranched, prostrate or ascending, and usually tinged reddish. They do not root at the nodes.

The leaves are mostly in well-spaced whorls of 3, sometimes opposite, and spread outward from the stem. They are stalkless and are attached slightly above the base, producing a pair of minute, pouch-like spurs below the attachment point. They are thick and succulent but flat in cross section, ⅜″ to 13⁄16″ (10 to 30 mm) long, and ⅛″ to ¼″ (4 to 6 mm) wide. They gradually and only slightly reduce in size as they ascend the stem. The blades are narrowly oval and sharply pointed at the tip. They may be widest toward the tip (obovate), widest in the middle (elliptic), or straight-sided (linear). The upper and lower surfaces are hairless. They are not glaucous. The margins are untoothed.

The inflorescence is a 2- or 3-branched cluster (panicle) at the end of flowering stems. Each branch of the panicle terminates in a short, loosely ascending, somewhat zigzagged spike of a few flowers.

Each flower is about ½″ wide. There are 5 outer floral leaves (sepals), 5 petals, 10 stamens, and 5 carpels, each with a single style. The sepals are green, fleshy, spreading, ⅛″ to 3 ⁄16″ (3.5 to 5 mm) long, narrowly oblong lance-shaped, and bluntly pointed at the tip. Like the leaves, they have a pair of minute, pouch-like spurs at the base. The petals are yellow, 3 ⁄16″ to 5⁄16″ (5 to 8 mm) long, narrowly lance-shaped, and sharply pointed. The stamens have yellow stalks (filaments) and yellow anthers. The filaments are attached at the bases of the petals. The carpels are greenish-yellow.

The fruit is a brown, ⅛″ to ¼″ (4.5 to 6 mm) long seed capsule (follicle) with many seeds. The fruits usually wither before reaching maturity and the seeds abort during development. With few viable fruits, it usually does not escape over long distances.

Matting: 2″ to 11¾″ (5 to 30 cm) long

Yellow

Goldmoss stonecrop (Sedum acre ssp. acre) has much shorter stems and much smaller leaves. The leaves are alternate, crowded, overlapping, and egg-shaped.

Moderately moist to dry. Open woodlands, banks of streams and rivers, parks, cemeteries, roadsides, and disturbed areas. Full sun to light shade. Loamy or rocky, calcareous or acidic soil.

Spring

Sources

2, 3, 22, 29, 30.

Native to China, Korea, and Thailand. Introduced, cultivated, and naturalized.

Uncommon outside of cultivation in Minnesota

Location: Mower County