CHAUVEAUDII   Hamet, 1910

Synonyms :

Sedum chauveaudii var. chauveaudii

Sedum margaritae  Hamet (1910) / Sedum chauveaudii var. margaritae  (Hamet) Fröderström (1929)

Sedum triphyllum  Praeger (1921) (nom. illeg. Art. 53.1)

Sedum chauveaudii var. genuinum  Hamet (1929) (nom. inval., Art. 24.3)

Distribution : Nepal, China (NW Guizhou, SW Sichuan, E Yunnan); rocks in forests, shady banks, sunny slopes, rock crevices in alpine zones; 1700 - 3800 m.

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

Perennial herbs with long and slender rooting stems, 3 - 10 cm long.

Leaves in whorls of 3 or sometimes alternate, persistent below, spatulate appearing almost petiolate, subobtuse, with a narrow, obtuse or sometimes bifid spur, mamillate, 6 - 20 mm.

Flowering branches ascending, papillose towards the tip, 10 - 20 cm tall.

Inflorescences broad somewhat lax corymbs.

Flowers 5-merous, sepals basally free, shortly spurred, unequal, broadly linear-subspatulate, rounded, mamillate, 6.5 - 8 mm, petals basally connate for up to 1.5 mm, lanceolate to oblong, submucronate, narrowing towards the base, yellowish, 8 - 12 mm.

Sedum margaritae differs by its alternate leaves and more erect follicles. Fröderström (1930) and Fu & Fu (1984) classified it as a variety of S. chauveaudii, but the significance of these characters seems to be limited even for a distinction at varietal level.