Stringy stonecrop is a creeping succulent from East Asia that has escaped from gardens and gone wild in many eastern states. Its trailing stems root wherever they touch the ground, forming low mats of fleshy, pale green leaves topped with starry yellow flowers. It's sometimes called graveyard stonecrop.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A low, mat-forming perennial about 4–10 in (10–25 cm) tall, with arching stems that trail along the ground.
- Leaves
- Fleshy, pointed leaves about ½–1 in (1–2.5 cm) long grow in of three around the stem.
- Flowers
- Five-petaled yellow stars in flat clusters of roughly 8–40 flowers; the anthers often have a pinkish or reddish tint.
Look-alikes
Wild stonecropSedum ternatum
Wild stonecrop, a native woodland plant, usually has four white petals and rounder lower leaves. Stringy stonecrop has five yellow petals and narrower, pointed leaves.
Why they get mixed upBoth are low, creeping stonecrops with leaves in whorls of three.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Gardens
- Roadsides
- Forest edges
- Waste ground
- Range
- Native to China and Korea. In the US it has naturalized in the East, including all six New England states, and it is considered an aggressive spreader in the South.
- Preferred conditions
- Thrives in sunny, open spots and tolerates drought; it doesn't spread far under shrubs or tall perennials.
Growing it
- Care
- Planted as a drought-tolerant groundcover and "living mulch," hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Shallow roots make unwanted patches easy to pull, but bits left behind can reroot.
- Propagation
- Spreads mainly by stems that root at the nodes; broken pieces readily start new plants.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- In Korea it is a popular spring vegetable called dolnamul, eaten fresh as a seasoned side dish (namul) and added to bibimbap.
- Its Chinese name, chuipencao, means "herb that trails down the flowerpot."
More species to explore
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