Stonecrop, English

Information on English Stonecrop

Common Name: English Stonecrop
Scientific Name: Sedum anglicum
Irish Name: Póiríní seangán
Family Group: Crassulaceae
Distribution: View Map (Courtesy of the BSBI)
Flowering Period


Click for list of all flowering by month
English Stonecrop could sometimes be confused with:

Stonecrop, White,

More frequently found around the coast than inland, English Stonecrop is a fleshy, wiry-stemmed little plant which is commonly found on dry banks, stone walls and shingle. It's a low, mat-forming, evergreen perennial which only reaches about 5cm high and has very pretty star-shaped flowers (12mm across) which have five petals – white above, pink below – which bloom from June to September.  The flowers are borne in small cymes.  Fleshy, cylindrical, alternate, grey-green leaves become red-tinged as the plant matures.  This is a native plant and it belongs to the Crassulaceae family.  

I first found this plant growing near Kilternan, Co Dublin in 1976 and I photographed it growing on an old bridge over the Slaney at Scarawalsh, Co Wexford in 2009.

If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre

The genus Sedum is frequently used in 'green roofing' or 'living roofing'.  This type of roofing, which originated centuries ago in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, has proved itself to be extremely efficient in providing insulation against cold and heat, giving habitat for wildlife and helping to absorb sound and rainwater.  It is now becoming more popular across Europe and is gaining favour in the U.S. also.     

Stonecrop, English
Stonecrop, English
Stonecrop, English
Stonecrop, English