Sedum

JACCARDIANUM   Maire & Wilczek, 1925

Synonyms :

Monanthella jaccardiana  (Maire & Wilczek) A.Berger (1930) / Rosularia jaccardiana (Maire & Wilczek) H.Ohba (1978)

 

Distribution : Morocco (Middle and High Atlas) ; limestone rocks, 1600 - 2800 m.

 

 

Description (according to 't Hart & Bleij in IHSP, 2003) :

 

Glandular-pubescent rosulate perennial herbs with a short thick monopodial stem (or caudex) and numerous short prostrate axillary stolons with small rooting terminal rosettes.

 

Leaves alternate, obovate-spatulate, or semipetiolate with a petiole 2x the length of the lamina, acute to obtuse, sometimes pubescent, often sticky and with a strong flowery scent, 10 - 20 mm.

 

Inflorescences : Flowering branches axillary, ascending, glandular-pubescent, inflorescences lax few-flowered cymes with 2 (rarely 3) cincinni, bracts 1 per flower, small, pedicels filiform, 10 -15 mm.

 

FIowers (5- to) 6- (to 10) -merous, almost globular in bud, sepals broadly sessile, basally slightly connate, lanceolate-oblong, acute, glandular-pubescent, to 4 mm, petals basally connate to 0,7 mm, oblong, acuminate, yellow with orange-yellow base, ± 7 mm, filaments yellow, anthers yellow.

 

Cytology : 2n = 16

 

Closely related to S. surculosum and S. modestum, both of which are also endemic to the Moroccan High Atlas. All 3 taxa have been classified in Ser. Monanthoidea, which is the sistergroup of the Macaronesian Sempervivoideae, i.e. Aeonium, Aichryson and Monanthes, see Mes & 't Hart (1994) and Mes (1995a).

 

S. jaccardianum is very similar to species of genus Aichryson, here compared with the variegate Aichryson x aizoides (at right) :

Photos Ray Stephenson

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