Phedimus

STELLATUS   (L.) Rafinesque, 1817

Synonyms :

Sedum stellatum  L. (1753) / Anacampseros stellata  (L.) Haworth (1812) / Asterosedum stellatum  (L.) Grulich (1984)

Sedum uniflorum  Rafinesque (1810)  / Phedimus uniflorus  (Rafinesque) Rafinesque (1817)

Sedum deltoideum  Tenore (1815)

 

Subgenus Phedimus

 

Distribution : Central and eastern Mediterranean Region (southern France, Italy, Balkan, Greece, Turkey); naturalized in England (Somerset).

 

 

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

 

Annual glabrous herbs with erect or ascending stout, simple or branched, sometimes papillose (upper part) stems 3 - 15 cm long.

 

Leaves opposite or sometirnes alternate in the upper part, shortly petiolate or spatulate, obovate to orbicular, 7 - 20 mm, entire, sparingly crenate or bluntly dentate, sometimes papillose.

 

Inflorescences dense cymes with (1-) 5 - 15 (-25) flowers on (1-) 2 - 3 (-4) usually simple cincinni, bracts large, spatulate to oblong, ± 5 mm.

 

Flowers (4- to) 5-merous, (sub-) sessile, sepals basally connate to 1 mm, erect, broadly linear to lanceolate, papillose at the tip, 4 - 6 mm, petals basally free, oblong, broadly mucronate, 4 - 5 mm, white, pink or purplish-red, anthers red.

 

Cytology : 2n = 10

 

Artificially obtained hybrids with P. stoloniferus (2n = 13) were annual and sterile.

The name refers to the fruit rather than the flowers. (R. Stephenson)

 

First record of Phedimus stellatus, lake Ichkeul, Tunisia.
Sharing rock with Sedum caeruleum.
Photos Ray Stephenson

Photos Thomas Delange

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