Sedum acre: characteristics and growing tips

Sedum acre

Today we are going to talk about one of the succulent plants that are used in gardening. Its about pungent sedum. It is a perennial herb that belongs to the Crassulaceae family. Its main habitat is to grow in the diet of rocks, stony slopes and walls. In gardening we can see it frequently since it needs little care to stay in good condition. It is also known by other common names such as cat's claw, wall pepper, little bird, bunch, cuckoo bread, wolf bunch, spicy immortelle and minor immortelle.

In this article we are going to tell all the characteristics, habitat and care that the pungent sedum.

Key features

Rockery plant

It is a plant native to Europe and it may appear spontaneously on our peninsula. We find it as a small herb with evergreen leaves that is part of the succulent group. The succulent are those fleshy plants that are capable of retaining water in their leaves. Thanks to this ability can withstand long periods of drought since they can save part of the water they have collected.

This plant in question has a paneling habit and is in good condition. can reach between 5 and 10 meters in height. They have two different types of stems. At the base we find the creeping stems and as we advance to the top we see that the stems become ascending. They can live in the diet of the rocks since it has roots with a very small size. This allows them to fixate on very narrow gaps and, since they need little water, they can survive in these micro ecosystems.

In its natural range we see that it extends throughout Europe, reaching as far as western Asia and northwestern Africa. In the Iberian Peninsula it is found distributed in stony soils, rocks and walls. We can find it up to 2100 meters above sea level.

Its flowering takes place in summer and it is quite resistant to cold. It can withstand temperatures down to -20 degrees. Its leaves are green in color and have an indicated shape and a spicy flavor. They form very dense branches that extend through stolons. When the flowering season arrives we see that it is very showy and abundant. The flowers have five petals and a fairly bright star shape. Once fertilized they produce fruits that are a set of follicles. They are yellow in color and have the advantage of attracting numerous butterflies. Thanks to this or, we can have the garden loaded with butterflies that, in turn, can polemicize the rest of our plants.

Uses of Sedum acre

Detail of the flower of Sedum acre

This plant is frequently used in low maintenance gardening. One of the main advantages offered by this species is that it can be used for public spaces since it decorates quite well with its flowering in summer and does not require much maintenance. Usually used in dry areas since it does not need much watering. It is better to choose a sunny area with shallow soils such as rockery and stony slopes.

It is also useless to arrange on walls, dry walls, planters or pots. Due to its low maintenance and high level of decoration it is well known for having special interest to be used in ecological roofs and for the decoration of roofs. This is because, thanks to its upholstered size, dense tapestries can form. It is suitable to be planted in gardens near the coast since it can withstand a medium level and high salinity in the soil.

In gardening we can use it on almost any type of substrate as long as there is a place with good drainage.

Caring for the Sedum acre

Sedum acre flowers

As we know, all species of the succulent genus are very well adapted to the lack of water. This capacity is because they can store water in their leaves. Thanks to this, it can be used frequently for the vegetation of walls and roofs. It is grown in the gardens of regions with temperate temperatures of the hemisphere.

It is usually destined in plantations with landscape restoration and gardening function as an ornamental plant for use in rockeries or upholstery. Among the requirements of Sedum acre we see that it can grow in poor and dry soils. It has a small preference for those soils with high levels of calcium, preferring these to those that are too fertile. This does not mean that if we plant this plant in a soil that is richer in nutrients, it will grow in worse conditions. What we must bear in mind is that the other plants grown in these soils will have a worse response once they have changed the type of soil.

Regarding the location, the ideal is to grow the plant in full sun. They can live and develop in good conditions in semi-shade but it is not the most advisable. Irrigation must be in the lowest part and without wetting the leaves. We will use a substrate that does not store water and irrigation will be compensated more frequently but in less quantity. If we see that a stagnation of water is caused, we must as a rottenness of the roots and a subsequent death of the plant occurs.

Multiplication and reproduction

We can multiply the Sedum acre through seeds in spring. This is done because it is the time when there are no frosts and the growth success is greater. Nevertheless, it is much more efficient to multiply it by cuttings. The speed of cultivation by cuttings is much higher. We can do it in small pots of about 10 to 12 centimeters in diameter. If we grow it in large quantities it is better to do it in trays to leave a small space between each specimen.

It is not a species that needs proper maintenance pruning. You may only need to remove the wilting leaves to make room for new ones. Otherwise, it only needs very infrequent and low-quantity watering.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the characteristics and care of the pungent sedum.


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