Dig into Plants: Autumn Joy Sedum

Autumn Joy Sedum Other Common Names: Showy Stonecrop, Showy Orpine, Live-forever, Ice Plant Scientific Name: Hylotelephium spectabile 'Autumn Joy' (formerly Sedum spectabile) Alternate Native Species: Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) (shade, groundcover) Native to Alabama: No, non-invasive
	Show Me Oz - Jill Henderson Click on image to enlarge it

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Basic Plant Information
	I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous. I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous. I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. I can grow up to 2 feet high and up to 2 feet wide.
Flickr Lenora (Ellie) Enking Click on image to enlarge it

Ecological Benefits

Maintenance Notes
Dormant in winter. Browned flower heads are considered ornamental in winter. Cut or pinch plants back in early spring to maintain the bushy shape and thick stems. When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots. Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves. Requires average amount of water.
Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:
Full Sun (6+ hours of sun per day)	Average Watering	Well-drained, Sandy, or Clay, or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

LEAF DESCRIPTION				Show Me Oz - Jill Henderson Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)

Shape: Elliptic	Margin: Serrate	Arrangement: Opposite/Whorled	Form: Simple


Description:
Dull green to blue-green leaves up to 3 inches long are fleshy and flat; upper leaves are sessile (attached directly to stem without stalk); grow on fleshy stems


FLOWER DESCRIPTION			Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Sally and Andy Wasowski Click on image to enlarge it
Flower Shape Chart (JPG)

Color: Pink, burgundy	Shape: Stellate (star-shaped)	Bloom Months: Aug - Oct

Description:
Flower is radially symmetrical with 4-5 petals, ½ inch across, in dense rounded flower heads 3-4 inches across; flower color changes from pink to dark reddish-brown with age



SEED DESCRIPTION			Native Plant Trust Go Botany Louis M. Landry Click on image to enlarge it

Type: Fruit - Dry Seed Pod	Description: Small capsule (a chamber within the fruit) and splits open when ripe	Months in Seed: Fall - Winter

Plant spreads by:
Seeds Can self-seed; detached leaves can be rooted in soil to form new plants

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

All plants start life as a seed.
The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle - Dreamstime
Click on image to enlarge it

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign:
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign:
Editable Word Doc

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT

Native Plant Trust Go Botany		USDA Plants Database
Monrovia		North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Missouri Botanical Garden

Alabama Outdoor Classroom Conservation Education Programs