ALFREDII Hance, 1870

Synonyms :

Sedum stellatum  Loureiro (s.a.)

Sedum formosae  Gray in sched. (s.a.)

Distribution : Japan (Kyushu, Ryukyu), Korea, Tibet, China, Taiwan, Philippines; lowlands to 3000 m.

Description (according to IHSP, 2003) :

Perennial or annual herbs (no vegetative shoots present).

Leaves alternate or opposite, ± crowded, broadly spatulate-oblong to obovate, subacute, obtuse or retuse, 5 - 15 mm, sometimes mamillate towards the tip.

Inflorescences : Flowering branches numerous, ascending, slender, tufted, 10 - 20 cm, inflorescences lax cymes with ± 3 cincinni, bracts leaf-like, ovate.

FIowers 5-merous, sessile, sepals basally free, shortly spurred, unequal, broadly oblanceolate to semi-oblong, subacute to retuse, 2,5 -  5 mm, petals narrowly lanceolate to semi-oblong, shortly mucronate, yellowish, 4 - 5 mm.

Cytology : 2n = 124

Most probably hapaxanth and now and again propagating through rooting non-flowering branches. Fröderström (1930) included S. bulbiferum and S. makinoi in S. alfredii as separate subspecies, and according to Fu & Fu (1984), S. formosanum is also conspecific. Pending further studies, all these taxa are kept as separate species for the time being.