Hylotelephium telephium
Encyclopedia
Hylotelephium telephium (Orpine, Livelong, Frog's-stomach, Harping Johnny, Life-everlasting, Live-forever, Midsummer-men, Orphan John, Witch's Moneybags) is succulent perennial
groundcover
of the family Crassulaceae
native to Eurasia
. The flowers are held in dense heads and can be reddish or yellowish-white. A number of cultivars, often with purplish leaves, are grown in gardens as well as hybrids between this species and the related Hylotelephium spectabile
(Iceplant), especially the popular Sedum 'Herbstfreude' ('Autumn Joy'). Occasionally garden plants may escape and naturalise as has happened in parts of North America as wildflower
s.
including:
The plant has been used medicinally and also for love-divination
This species (and some of its close relatives) are sometimes still placed in the genus Sedum
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
groundcover
Groundcover
Groundcover refers to any plant that grows over an area of ground, used to provide protection from erosion and drought, and to improve its aesthetic appearance .- Ecosystem :...
of the family Crassulaceae
Crassulaceae
Crassulaceae, or the orpine family, are a family of dicotyledons. They store water in their succulent leaves. They are found worldwide, but mostly occur in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Africa, typically in dry and/or cold areas where water may be scarce...
native to Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
. The flowers are held in dense heads and can be reddish or yellowish-white. A number of cultivars, often with purplish leaves, are grown in gardens as well as hybrids between this species and the related Hylotelephium spectabile
Hylotelephium spectabile
Hylotelephium spectabile is a plant in the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae. Its common names include showy stonecrop, ice plant, and butterfly stone crop. A variety commonly grown is called "Autumn Joy"....
(Iceplant), especially the popular Sedum 'Herbstfreude' ('Autumn Joy'). Occasionally garden plants may escape and naturalise as has happened in parts of North America as wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s.
Species
There are several subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
including:
- H. telephium ssp. fabaria - West & Central Europe
- H. telephium ssp. maximum - Europe
- H. telephium ssp. ruprechtii - North-east Europe
- H. telephium ssp. telephium - Central & East Europe
The plant has been used medicinally and also for love-divination
This species (and some of its close relatives) are sometimes still placed in the genus Sedum
Sedum
Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have...
External links
- Live-long: Sedum telephium, history of the plant