PALMERI  Watson, 1882

Synonyms :

Sedum palmeri  ssp. emarginatum  R.T.Clausen (1981)

Sedum palmeri  ssp. rubromarginatum  R.T.Clausen (1981)

Sedum compressum  Rose, 1909

Distribution : Mexico (Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Nuevo León); naturalized in Italy.

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

Glabrous perennial subshrubs with several flexuous stems 15 – 25 cm tall.

Leaves alternate, narrowly spatulate, broadly obovate, pseudopetiolate-obovate in the lower part, obtuse, smooth or finely mamillate, glaucous, 10 – 30 mm; flowering branches erect.

Inflorescences panicles or lax corymbs, bracts subovate.

Flowers 5- to 7-merous, pedicellate, sepals broadly sessile, unequal, oblong, subacute, 4 – 5.5 mm, petals basally slightly connate, oblong, subotuse, broadly mucronate, orange-yellow, 6 – 7 mm.

Cytology : 2n = 68, 70, 136

Note :

1. 't Hart & Bleij are not correct in listing S. compressum as a separate species instead of including it in S. palmeri. Uhl (Rhodora, US, 82, 1980) considers it to be no more than a tetraploid subspecies of S. palmeri. "Most tetraploids are a bit smaller than most diploids, but the differences seem not sufficient to warrant status as a separate species."

2. A small leaved form has been distributed for many years as S. palmeri ‘Guatemalan Mini’ (published by Ray Stephenson in Sedum Society Newsletter 90:90-94) because it had been collected at a Guatemalan market with no information regarding its origin. Recently it has been found at Mirador Altas Cumbres, Tamaulipas, well within the distribution area of S. palmeri. Of course the cultivar name is now obsolete and should not be used any longer because - obviously - it is misleading. (See Sedum Society Newsletter 148: 5-6, 2023) >> see photo below.

See also : Sedum palmeri by Marco Cristini