Kamchatka stonecrop is a tough little succulent from northeast Asia that is widely grown in U.S. rock gardens and on green roofs. In early summer it covers itself with flat clusters of starry yellow flowers. It is also called orange stonecrop, and nurseries often sell it as Sedum kamtschaticum.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A clump-forming perennial succulent with several stems about 6–12 in (15–30 cm) tall, occasionally up to 16 in (40 cm). The top growth mostly dies back over winter.
- Leaves
- Fleshy, spoon-shaped to oval leaves, about 1–2.75 in (2.5–7 cm) long, with toothed edges. They are deep green and can blush red in cold weather.
- Flowers
- Star-shaped yellow flowers with five petals, held in flat clusters at the stem tips. Butterflies visit them.
- Fruit
- Star-shaped seed pods form in late summer and ripen to brown by fall, holding tiny seeds.
Look-alikes
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Rocky slopes
- Rock gardens
- Range
- Native to eastern Russia (including Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands), northeastern China, Korea, and Japan. In the U.S. it is mainly a garden plant, though it has been recorded as introduced in New York State.
- Preferred conditions
- Likes full sun to part shade and well-drained, even poor or rocky soil. Hardy in USDA zones 3–8 and tolerant of heat, hard cold, and drought.
Growing it
- Care
- Used in containers, rock gardens, slopes, small groundcover areas, green roofs, and living walls. Popular cultivars include 'Weihenstephaner Gold' and the variegated 'Variegatum'.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Long known as Sedum kamtschaticum, and nurseries still use that name. Botanists now place it in the genus Phedimus.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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