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Sedum acre - L.

Common Name Common Stonecrop, Goldmoss stonecrop, Gold Moss Sedum
Family Crassulaceae
USDA hardiness 4-9
Known Hazards Poisonous[19]? The sap can irritate the skin of some people[76]. Other reports suggest that no members of this genus are poisonous[62, 85]. The flowers are yellow which suggests that in quantity the leaves can cause stomach upsets.
Habitats Dry sunny situations on rocks, roofs, walls etc, especially near the sea[4, 7, 19]. Often found on limestone hills, it avoids acid soils[17].
Range E. Europe - Balkans. Long naturalized in Britain[17].
Edibility Rating    (1 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Sedum acre Common Stonecrop, Goldmoss stonecrop,  Gold Moss Sedum


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sedum_acre_Ypey11.jpg
Sedum acre Common Stonecrop, Goldmoss stonecrop,  Gold Moss Sedum

 

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Summary

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


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Sedum acre is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in) by 0.3 m (1ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from July to August. 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.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

 Ground Cover; East Wall. In. South Wall. In. West Wall. In.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves
Edible Uses: Condiment

Leaves - raw or cooked[13, 100]. Rich in vitamin C, but it has a bitter acrid taste[1, 244]. The main interest in the edible qualities of this plant is as a survival food, since it grows wild in the driest deserts as well as in arctic conditions[244]. Large quantities can cause stomach upsets[19]. It is best to dry the leaves (which can be difficult because they are very fleshy) and then powder them and use them to add a peppery taste to foods[244]. The leaves are dried and ground into a powder to make a spicy seasoning[183].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Astringent  Foot care  Hypotensive  Laxative  Rubefacient  Vermifuge  Vitamin C  Vulnerary


The herb is astringent, hypotensive, laxative, rubefacient, vermifuge and vulnerary[4, 7, 9, 13, 46]. It is considered to be a useful medicinal plant by some herbalists, though others do not use it because of the violence of its operation when taken internally[4, 7]. One of its best uses is as an effective and harmless corn-remover, it can also be used to bring boils to a head, though this can also cause some local irritation[7]. The bruised fresh plant is applied as a poultice to wounds and minor burns[9], though some care should be exercised because the plant can cause blisters or skin irritations[244]. The herb is difficult to dry and so is best used when fresh, it can be gathered at any time during the spring and summer[7]. A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[9]. It is used in the treatment of piles and anal irritations[9].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other 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. Many species of the stronger-growing bulbs such as lilies can grow successfully through it[K].

Special Uses

Ground cover

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Landscape Uses:Container, Ground cover, Rock garden, Seashore, Specimen. A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils[188] but prefers a sunny position in a fertile well-drained soil[200]. Established plants are drought tolerant[190]. Grows well on walls[190]. Plants can be very aggressive and invasive, spreading freely at the roots[200]. If clearing the plant from an area it is quite important to try and remove every part of the plant since even a small part of the stem, if left in the ground, can form roots and develop into a new plant[200]. All members of this genus are said to have edible leaves, though those species, such as this one, that have yellow flowers can cause stomach upsets if they are eaten in quantity[62, 85]. Plants in this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233]. Special Features: Attractive foliage, Not North American native, Invasive, Naturalizing.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed - surface sow in spring in well-drained soil in a sunny position in a greenhouse. Do not allow the soil to dry out. It can also be sown in the autumn in a cold frame, some seed germinates immediately whilst others germinate in the spring. 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[K]. 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.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: Turkey, Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia (Ciscaucasia), Russian Federation-Western Siberia (Western Siberia) EUROPE: Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Russian Federation (European part), Ukraine (incl. Krym), Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, France, Portugal AFRICA: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Sedum aizoonSedumPerennial0.4 4-10 MLMHNDM11 
Sedum albumSmall Houseleek, White stonecrop, Sedum, StonecropPerennial0.1 6-8 MLMHNDM113
Sedum anacampserosLoce RestorerPerennial0.1 5-9  LMHSNDM103
Sedum arboroseumGarden StonecropPerennial0.5 5-9  LMHSNDM12 
Sedum divergensPacific StonecropPerennial0.2 5-9  LMHNDM11 
Sedum forsterianumStonecropPerennial0.2 6-9  LMHNDM10 
Sedum japonicum Perennial0.2 -  LMHNDM10 
Sedum kamtschaticumOrange stonecrop, Kamschataka Sedum, Kamschataka StonecropPerennial0.1 4-10 MLMHNDM122
Sedum lanceolatumSpearleaf Stonecrop, Subalpine stonecropPerennial0.2 5-9  LMHNDM11 
Sedum lineareNeedle stonecropPerennial0.3 6-9  LMHNDM11 
Sedum makinoiStonecrop, SedumPerennial0.2 8-10 MLMHNDM12 
Sedum oreganumOregon stonecropPerennial0.2 5-9  LMHNDM102
Sedum rupestreCrooked Yellow StonecropPerennial0.1 6-9  LMHSNDM102
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Sedum sediforme Perennial0.5 7-10  LMHNM10 
Sedum spathulifoliumBroadleaf Stonecrop, Purdy's stonecrop, Yosemite stonecrop, Stonecrop, Blood Leaf SedumPerennial0.1 6-10 MLMHSNDM113
Sedum spectabileIce PlantPerennial0.4 5-9  LMHNDM213
Sedum spuriumCaucasian StonecropPerennial0.2 6-9  LMHNDM103
Sedum stenopetalumWormleaf StonecropPerennial0.2 5-9  LMHNDM11 
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Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

L.

Botanical References

17200

Links / References

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Readers comment

Charles Espey   Mon Feb 20 2006

Sedum acre is aggressively invading coastal strand plant communities and displacing native species in the Puget Trough of Washington State.USA.

Jane Morris   Tue May 13 2008

we visitors from birchfields park forest garden tasted this at bangor forest garden on Sunday, they rated its leaves we found them tasty, just bitter to some people's taste

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