Perennial herb to 40 cm tall Stem: erect to somewhat spreading. Leaves: mostly opposite, 3 - 8 cm long, 1 - 3.5 cm wide, narrow and inversely egg-shaped to egg-shaped or nearly round, non-toothed to wavy-edged, flat, succulent, covered with a whitish waxy coating (glaucous). Flowers: borne in a somewhat open and mostly flat-topped inflorescence (corymb), with zero to ten stamens and five white (sometimes pinkish) petals 4.5 - 6 mm long with a green midvein. Fruit: a sterile dry follicle.

Similar species: Sedum alboroseum, Sedum album, Sedum purpureum, Sedum spurium, and Sedum ternatum have white to pink or purple flowers. Sedum album is easily distinguished by having leaves that are circular in cross-section and creeping stems. Sedum spurium and S. ternatum also have creeping stems. Sedum purpureum has deep pink petals and whorled or alternate leaves with teeth.

Flowering: September

Habitat and ecology: Most likely introduced from Asia, this species is occasionally found in ditches and near homes with rock gardens.

Occurence in the Chicago region: non-native

Notes: Sedum alboroseum is a sterile triploid (having three copies of each chromosome instead of two) from Japan and it may be a hybrid of S. spectabile and S. viridescens.

Etymology: Sedum comes from the Latin word sedo, meaning "to sit," referring to the manner in which some species attach to walls and rocks. Alboroseum means white-rose.

Author: The Morton Arboretum