Description: This native perennial plant is up to 10" tall and unbranched, except at the base. The succulent stems are round, light green, and hairless. The fleshy leaves are up to ¾" long and across. The lower leaves are orbicular or obovate, smooth along the margins, glabrous, and whorled in groups of 3 along the stems (less often, they are opposite). The upper leaves are rhombic or oblanceolate and alternate along the stems; they are smaller and more narrow than the lower leaves, otherwise these two types of leaves are very similar. Some of the stems (the fertile shoots) terminate in spreading cymes of white flowers, while others (the infertile shoots) produce only leaves.
Each flat-topped cyme consists of 2-4
white to light green branches of flowers. Each flower is up to ½"
across, consisting of 4 narrow white petals, 4 green sepals, 8 stamens, and 4
pistils in the center. The anthers of the stamens have a silvery appearance
while young, but they later become reddish brown. The blooming period occurs
from late spring to early summer and lasts about a month. The tiny seeds are
contained in follicles that split open along one side; these seeds can be
carried aloft by the wind. The root system produces abundant rhizomes and forms
vegetative offsets; this results in small clumps of plants.
Cultivation: The preference is partial sun, mesic to
dry conditions, and a loamy or rocky soil. The foliage is little bothered by
insects and disease. This plant is resistant to drought because of its fleshy
leaves and stems, which store water; this drought resistance is enhanced by its
Crassula Acid Metabolism (CAM).
Range & Habitat: Wild Stonecrop occurs
occasionally in widely scattered sites in southern, central, and NE Illinois;
it is absent from the NW area of the state. Habitats include wooded ravines,
partially shaded banks along rivers, cliffs, and rocky bluffs. This plant is
usually found on slopes where there is little ground vegetation. It is normally
found in or near woodlands.
Faunal
Associations: Little specific information is available about
floral-faunal relationships for this plant. The flower nectar of Sedum
spp. (Stonecrops) attracts various kinds of bees. Less often, wasps and
flies visit Stonecrop flowers. Occasionally, the foliage of Sedum spp.
is attacked by aphids, including Aphis sedi (Sedum
Aphid).
Photographic Location: A
partially shaded riverbank in Vermillion County, Illinois.
Comments: Both the flowers and the foliage are quite
attractive; this native species should be grown in flower gardens more often.
Wild Stonecrop is the only Sedum sp. that is native to central and
northern Illinois; other Sedum spp. that have naturalized in this
portion of the state have been introduced from abroad for horticultural
purposes. In southern Illinois, there are 2 native Sedum spp. that are
uncommon. Wild Stonecrop is fairly easy to distinguish from other Sedum
spp., whether native or introduced, because it has orbicular leaves in
whorls of 3 and flowers with 4 white petals. Other Sedum spp. usually
have more narrow leaves that are opposite or alternate, and their flowers often
have 5 petals that are white, yellow, or rosy pink. Another common name for
Sedum ternatum is Three-Leaved Stonecrop.