WILCZEKIANUM Font Quer, 1928

Synonyms :

Sedum hirsutum ssp. wilczekianum  (Font Quer) Maire (1977) / Rosularia wilczekiana  (Font Quer) Eggli (1988)

Distribution : Northern Morocco; coastal regions, rocky places along the Mediterranean Sea.

Description (according to IHSP, 2003) :

Perennial herbs, rosettes to 3,5 cm diameter, producing easily detachable short (to 3 cm) leafy stolons with small terminal rosettes.

Leaves alternate, semiterete to terete, narrowly ovate to oblong-elliptic, to 14 x 4 mm, obtuse, densely glandular-pubescent and somewhat sticky.

Inflorescences : Flowering branches axillary, erect or ascending, usually simple, to 8 cm, with leaves increasingly fewer and smaller towards the tip, inflorescences with 2 (-3) monochasial 3- to 6-flowered branches inserted ± 5 mm apart, below with a terminal flower, bracts 1 per flower small, pedicels erect, 3 - 7 mm.

FIowers 5-merous, sepals broadly sessile, ± equal, broadly ovoid, semiterete, 3 - 5 mm, sparsely glandular-pubescent, petals basally connate for ± 2 mm, pink fading to white, with a conspicuous dorsal red stripe, narrowly oblong, 6,5 mm, truncate, with a distinct apical mucro, filaments white, anthers yellow.

Cytology: 2n = 36.

Molecular systematic studies indicate that this rare Moroccan endemic is closely related to S. dasyphyllum and S. mucizonia. It is consequently included in Ser. Dasyphylla.