SIKOKIANUS (Maximowicz) 't Hart,1995
Synonyms :
Sedum sikokianum Maxirnowicz (1892) / Aizopsis sikokiana (Maximowicz) Grulich (1984)
Subgenus Aizoon
Distribution : Japan (Shikoku Island, endemic); 1300 - 1900 m.
Description (according to IHSP, 2003) :
Small glabrous herbs with short rhizomes and short ascending flowering branches to 20 cm.
Leaves opposite, sessile or petiolate, spatulate-oblong to cuneate-spatulate or rhombic, crenate, 10 - 27 x 6 - 12 mm.
Inflorescences few-flowered cymes, bracts few, small, pedicels 1 – 2 mm.
FIowers 5-merous, sepals linear, 3 - 4 mm, petals spreading, linear-lanceolate, cuspidate, 6.5 mm, yellow.
Cytology : 2n = 16 (Amano & Obba 1990)
A rare and, untiI recently, rather unknown species.
It may be a key-species for understanding the evolution of the whole Subgenus Aizoon because of its low diploid chromosome number and the opposite leaves.