Sedum

CRETICUM   C. Presl, 1828

Synonym : Helladia cretica  (C.Presl) M.Král (1987)

 

Distribution : Greece (Crete, Karpathos).

 

 

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

 

Annual to perennial glandular-pubescent rosulate herbs usually with a thickened taproot.

 

Leaves alternate, oblong-spatulate, flattened, sessile or pseudo-petiolate, obtuse or subacute, glabrous, mamillate or sparsely glandular-pubescent, green or glaucous, to 4 cm long.

 

Inflorescences : Flowering branches erect or ascending, usually simple, glandular-pubescent, 3 - 15 (-20) cm ; inflorescences narrow densely glandular-pubescent panicles to 10 cm tall, composed of many few-flowered usually forked cincinni, bracts small, pedicels ± 1 mm.

 

FIowers 5- (to 6-) merous, sepals broadly sessile, basally slightly connate, triangular-oblong, obtuse or subacute, ± 2 mm, petals free, lanceolate, acute, brownish- or greenish-white, tinged red, 5 - 7 mm, filaments whitish, anthers red.

 

Cytology : 2n = 22

 

The species belongs to Ser. Cepaea. It embraces 2 vicariant ecotypes, which differ to some extent in altitudinal amplitude and geographical distribution. They are fully interfertile, however, and most probably merely represent different phenotypic expressions of a similar genotype in different habitats.

Plants from Libya commonly referred to as S. creticum have been described as S. cyrenaicum.

 

2 varieties :

Sedum creticum var. creticum

Sedum creticum var. monocarpicum 't Hart, 1989

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