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Sedum acre - L.
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| Common Name
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Common Stonecrop
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| Family
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Crassulaceae
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| Synonyms
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| Known Hazards
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Poisonous[19]? The sap can irritate the skin of some people[76]. Other reports suggest that no members of this genus are poisonous[62, 85]. The flowers are yellow which suggests that in quantity the leaves can cause stomach upsets.
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| Habitats
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Dry sunny situations on rocks, roofs, walls etc, especially near the sea[4, 7, 19]. Often found on limestone hills, it avoids acid soils[17].
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| Range
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E. Europe - Balkans. Long naturalized in Britain[17].
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Edibility Rating 
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| Medicinal Rating
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| | Care
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| Physical Characteristics
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An evergreen Perennial growing to 0.0 m (0ft 2in) by 0.3 m (1ft).
It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Jun to July, and the seeds ripen from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, self.The plant is self-fertile.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It cannot grow in the shade.It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
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| Habitats
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Ground Cover; East Wall. In. South Wall. In. West Wall. In.
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| Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Leaves.
Leaves - raw or cooked[13, 100]. Rich in vitamin C, but it has a bitter acrid taste[1, 244]. The main interest in the edible qualities of this plant is as a survival food, since it grows wild in the driest deserts as well as in arctic conditions[244]. Large quantities can cause stomach upsets[19]. It is best to dry the leaves (which can be difficult because they are very fleshy) and then powder them and use them to add a peppery taste to foods[244].
The leaves are dried and ground into a powder to make a spicy seasoning[183].
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| Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Astringent; Foot care; Hypotensive; Laxative; Rubefacient; Vermifuge; Vulnerary.
The herb is astringent, hypotensive, laxative, rubefacient, vermifuge and vulnerary[4, 7, 9, 13, 46]. It is considered to be a useful medicinal plant by some herbalists, though others do not use it because of the violence of its operation when taken internally[4, 7]. One of its best uses is as an effective and harmless corn-remover, it can also be used to bring boils to a head, though this can also cause some local irritation[7]. The bruised fresh plant is applied as a poultice to wounds and minor burns[9], though some care should be exercised because the plant can cause blisters or skin irritations[244]. The herb is difficult to dry and so is best used when fresh, it can be gathered at any time during the spring and summer[7].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[9]. It is used in the treatment of piles and anal irritations[9].
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| Other Uses
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Ground cover.
The plant spreads aggressively and can be used for ground cover in a sunny position amongst plants tall enough not to be overrun by it. Many species of the stronger-growing bulbs such as lilies can grow successfully through it[K].
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| Cultivation details
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A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils[188] but prefers a sunny position in a fertile well-drained soil[200]. Established plants are drought tolerant[190]. Grows well on walls[190].
Plants can be very aggressive and invasive, spreading freely at the roots[200]. If clearing the plant from an area it is quite important to try and remove every part of the plant since even a small part of the stem, if left in the ground, can form roots and develop into a new plant[200].
All members of this genus are said to have edible leaves, though those species, such as this one, that have yellow flowers can cause stomach upsets if they are eaten in quantity[62, 85].
Plants in this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].
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| Propagation
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Seed - surface sow in spring in well-drained soil in a sunny position in a greenhouse. Do not allow the soil to dry out. It can also be sown in the autumn in a cold frame, some seed germinates immediately whilst others germinate in the spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. If sufficient growth is made, it is possible to plant them out during the summer, otherwise keep them in a cold-frame or greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in early summer of the following year[K].
Division is very easy and can be carried out at almost any time in the growing season, though is probably best done in spring or early summer. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
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| Botanical References
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| 17200
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| Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
| [1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
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| Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
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| [4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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| Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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| [7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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| Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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| [9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
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| Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
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| [13]Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants.
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| Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
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| [17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
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| A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
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| [19]Stary. F. Poisonous Plants.
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| Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.
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| [46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
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| An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
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| [62]Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants.
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| Very readable.
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| [85]Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains.
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| A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.
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| [100]Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.
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| An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
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| [183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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| Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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| [188]Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers
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| Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
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| [190]Chatto. B. The Dry Garden.
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| A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.
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| [200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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| Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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| [233]Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
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| A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
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| [244]Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs
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| Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
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