Two Species of the Stonecrop Wild Flower

Biting Stonecrop (Sedum acre)

Colour photograph of the Biting Stonecrop (Sedum acre) wild flower found on the grassland dunes of Bull Island, Dublin. Its hot tasting leaves give the name to biting stonecrop, or wall pepper as it is also known. On the Bull Island it can be found forming a green mat on the top or edges of the moss-covered dunes. Biting stonecrop has numerous short stalks, some completely covered with the unstalked overlapping fleshy green leaves, others ending in clusters of bright yellow, star-shaped flowers about 15 mm across. Five short blunt green sepals enclose the five pointed yellow petals spread out in a star shape. There are ten prominent yellow stamens. The fruits are five pointed dry pods spread out in a star shape, which opens from the top to release the many seeds. Flowers: June-July

By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Biting Stonecrop (Sedum acre)
By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Biting Stonecrop (Sedum acre)

Colour photograph of the Biting Stonecrop (Sedum acre) wild flower found on the grassland dunes of Bull Island, Dublin. Its hot tasting leaves give the name to biting stonecrop, or wall pepper as it is also known. On the Bull Island it can be found forming a green mat on the top or edges of the moss-covered dunes. Biting stonecrop has numerous short stalks, some completely covered with the unstalked overlapping fleshy green leaves, others ending in clusters of bright yellow, star-shaped flowers about 15 mm across. Five short blunt green sepals enclose the five pointed yellow petals spread out in a star shape. There are ten prominent yellow stamens. The fruits are five pointed dry pods spread out in a star shape, which opens from the top to release the many seeds. Flowers: June-July

By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Enlarge image

BITING STONECROP (Sedum acre)

Its hot tasting leaves give the name to biting stonecrop, or wall pepper as it is also known. On the Bull Island it can be found forming a green mat on the top or edges of the moss-covered dunes.

Biting stonecrop has numerous short stalks, some completely covered with the unstalked overlapping fleshy green leaves, others ending in clusters of bright yellow, star-shaped flowers about 15 mm across.
 

Five short blunt green sepals enclose the five pointed yellow petals spread out in a star shape.
 

There are ten prominent yellow stamens. The fruits are five pointed dry pods spread out in a star shape, which opens from the top to release the many seeds.
 

Flowers: June-July

White Stonecrop (Sedum album)

Colour photograph of the White Stonecrop (Sedum album) wild flower found on the grassland dunes of Bull Island, Dublin. White stonecrop can be found scrambling in the dry grasses on the sides of dune hollows. Its stalks of abundant spiraling fleshy bright green leaves are able to retain water and enable the plant to survive in dry conditions. Flowering stems rise erect to a height of 15-25 cm. They have fewer leaves and these have a reddish tinge and are arranged alternately on the stem. Flowers are in a many-branched cyme. The five white flower petals are spread out in a star shape and the long prominent stamens are red-tipped. The five carpels form the fruit capsules which split open when dry to release the seeds. Flowers: June-August

By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

White Stonecrop (Sedum album)
By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

White Stonecrop (Sedum album)

Colour photograph of the White Stonecrop (Sedum album) wild flower found on the grassland dunes of Bull Island, Dublin. White stonecrop can be found scrambling in the dry grasses on the sides of dune hollows. Its stalks of abundant spiraling fleshy bright green leaves are able to retain water and enable the plant to survive in dry conditions. Flowering stems rise erect to a height of 15-25 cm. They have fewer leaves and these have a reddish tinge and are arranged alternately on the stem. Flowers are in a many-branched cyme. The five white flower petals are spread out in a star shape and the long prominent stamens are red-tipped. The five carpels form the fruit capsules which split open when dry to release the seeds. Flowers: June-August

By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Enlarge image

WHITE STONECROP (Sedum album)

White stonecrop can be found scrambling in the dry grasses on the sides of dune hollows. Its stalks of abundant spiraling fleshy bright green leaves are able to retain water and enable the plant to survive in dry conditions.
 

Flowering stems rise erect to a height of 15-25 cm. They have fewer leaves and these have a reddish tinge and are arranged alternately on the stem. Flowers are in a many-branched cyme.
 

The five white flower petals are spread out in a star shape and the long prominent stamens are red-tipped. The five carpels form the fruit capsules, which split open when dry to release the seeds.
 

Flowers: June-August

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