Sedum ternatum is the most widespread native 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...

species in eastern North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, commonly known as woodland stonecrop. It has white flowers, blooming April to May. This species grows where it can receive unimpeded sunlight year-round, including rocky places. It adapts well to garden use.

S. ternatum is native to much of the eastern United States, as far west as Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

 and Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, south down the Appalachian Mountains, and north to near the Canadian border.

S. ternatum can be distinguished from other sedums, native and cultivated, which are commonly found in the United States by the white flowers with four (not five) petals, and by the leaves in whorls of three, whence the species name. The plant flowers for about a month in late spring to early summer.