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Dig into Plants: Autumn Joy Sedum

Autumn Joy Sedum

Other Common Names: Showy Stonecrop, Showy Orpine, Live-forever, Ice Plant

Scientific Name: Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’ (formerly Sedum spectabile)

Alternate Native Species:
Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) (shade, groundcover)

Native to Alabama: No, non-invasive

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Learn More About...

Basic Plant Information

Flickr – Lenora (Ellie) Enking

  • I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous.
  • I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous.
  • I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
  • I can grow up to 2 feet high and up to 2 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Other Pollinators

Other Birds

Maintenance Notes

  • Dormant in winter.
  • Browned flower heads are considered ornamental in winter.
  • Cut or pinch plants back in early spring to maintain the bushy shape and thick stems.
  • When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds.  Water should reach all roots.
  • Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
  • Requires average amount of water.

Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Average Watering

Well-drained, Sandy, or Clay,
or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

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LEAF DESCRIPTION

Dull green to blue-green leaves up to 3 inches long are fleshy and flat; upper leaves are sessile (attached directly to stem without stalk); grow on fleshy stems

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)

Shape:
Eliptic

Margin:
Serrate

Arrangement:
Opposite/Whorled

Form:
Simple

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Sally and Andy Wasowski

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Flower is radially symmetrical with 4-5 petals, ½ inch across, in dense rounded flower heads 3-4 inches across; flower color changes from pink to dark reddish-brown with age

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)

Color:
Pink, burgundy

Shape:
Stellate (star-shaped)

Bloom Months:
Aug - Oct

Native Plant Trust Go Botany – Louis M. Landry

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds
Can self-seed; detached leaves can be rooted in soil to form new plants

Type:
Fruit -
Dry Seed Pod

Description:
Small capsule
(a chamber
within the fruit) and splits
open when ripe

Months in Seed:
Fall - Winter

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

  • All plants start life as a seed.
  • The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
  • The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
  • After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
  • After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
  • When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
  • Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle – Dreamstime

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT