At a first glance, this could be mistaken for Biting Stonecrop as the individual flowers are quite alike but there are a good few differences between the two species. Reflexed Stonecrop bears its pretty 6-7 petalled yellow flowers in dense, umbel-like heads, whereas Biting Stonecrop carries its 5-petalled yellow flowers in branching inflorescences. The flowers of the latter are also slightly larger. Reflexed Stonecrop is a perennial, growing to about 30cm tall, Biting Stonecrop is a much lower-growing , mat-forming plant, only reaching about 10cm high. The leaves of Reflexed Stonecrop are narrow, pointed and cylindrical and are evenly-spaced along the erect stem. The dead leaves don’t persist. These erect stems tend to droop when in bud. Blooming from June to August, this is an introduced species which belongs to the Crassulaceae or Stonecrop family. This was formerly known as Sedum rupestre.
I first set eyes on this species in August 2013 when Paula O’Meara, BSBI’s Joint Vice-county Recorder for Waterford and Wexford, pointed it out to me. Many thanks Paula. I also photographed it on that occasion.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
