SURCULOSUM Cosson, 1873
Synonym : Sempervivum surculosum (Cosson) Kuntze (1891)
Distribution : Morocco; 2400 - 3800 m.
Description (by 't Hart & Bleij in Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants, 2003) :
Sparsely glandular-pubescent rosulate perennial herbs with a short thick monopodial stem (or caudex) and numerous short axillary stolons with small rooting terminal rosettes.
Leaves alternate, obovate to obovate-oblong or spatulate, semipetiolate or sessile, obtuse or rounded, to 20 mm.
Inflorescences : Flowering branches axillary, ascending, to 5 cm long, inflorescences lax few-flowered cymes, pedicels filiform, to 22 mm.
FIowers 5- to 7-merous, sepals broadly sessile, basally connate, ovate, obtuse, ± 2 mm, petals ovate-oblong, obtuse, yellow, ± 3,5 x 2 mm, anthers yellow or red.
S. surculosum is closely related to S. jaccardianum. Mes & 't Hart (1994) proposed that S. surculosum var. luteum (2n = 32) could have evolved from diploid S. jaccardianum (2n = 16) through polyploidy, and that S. surculosum var. surculosum (2n = 30) in turn resulted from var. luteum through a descending dysploid change. S. surculosum, S. jaccardianum and S. modestum have been classified in Ser. Monanthoidea, which is the sister-group of the "Macaronesian Sempervivoideae", i.e. Aeonium, Aichryson and Monanthes (Mes 1995a).
2 varieties :
Sedum surculosum var. luteum (Emberger) Maire (1977)