MORRISONENSE Hayata, 1908

Synonym : Sedum cryptomerioides  Bartlett & Yamamoto (1932)

Type (lecto) : Taiwan (Nagasaza 566)

Distribution : Taiwan : mountains above 2500 m.

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

Perennial herbs with erect reddish stems, branched at the base, to 8 cm.

Leaves alternate or whorled, densely imbricate, oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, 6 (-15) x ± 1.5 (-3) mm.

Inflorescences many-flowered cymes with 2 – 4 sometimes forked cincinni, bracts leaf-like, shorter than the flower.

Flowers 5-merous, sessile, sepals basally free, spurred, unequal, oblong-linear, obtuse, ±  3 mm, petals oblong-linear to lanceolate, obtuse, yellow, ±  6.5 mm, nectar scales minute, broadly square, styles ± 6 mm, fruits erect, membranous, seed oblong, reticulate-papillose.

Note :

Tang & Huang (1989) treated S. cryptomerioides as a distinct species, which is separated from S. morrisonense by its larger leaves arranged in whorls. However, phyllotaxis and leaf size appear to be rather variable in these taxa.

S. kwanwuense, only reported from Kwanwu, Hsinchu County and Taichung City, proposed by Lin (1999) as a variety of S. morrisonense and published 2019 at species rank by Lu, Lin & Wang, is strongly resembling S. cryptomerioides and may therefore as well be placed in the synonymy of S. morrisonense or possibly - as suggested by Lin - as a var. of the latter.