Caucasian Stonecrop, Two-Row Stonecrop

Phedimus spurius ‘Dragon’s Blood’

FED-ih-MUS  SPUR-ee-us

SYN.

Sedum spurium

SEE-dum  SPUR-ee-um

Synonyms of Phedimus spurius (19) (Updated on 12-15-23 from Plants of the World Online: Anacampseros ciliaris Haw. (1812), Anacampseros dentata Haw. (1821), Anacampseros spuria (M.Bieb.) Haw. (1821), Asterosedum spurium (M.Bieb.) Grulich (1984), Crassula crenata Desf. (1808), Phedimus crenatus (Desf.) V.V.Byalt (2001), Phedimus spurius subsp. oppositifolius (Sims) L.Gallo (2020), Sedum ciliare (Haw.) Sweet (1826), Sedum congestum K.Koch ex Boiss. (1872), Sedum crenatum (Desf.) Boiss. (1872), Sedum dentatum (Haw.) DC. (1828), Sedum denticulatum Donn ex Haw. (in unknown publication), Sedum involucratum M.Bieb. (1808), Sedum lazicum Boiss. (1856), Sedum oppositifolium Sims (1816), Sedum spurium M.Bieb. (1808), Sedum spurium var. oppositifolium (Sims) P.Fourn, (1936), Sedum spurium f. splendens Farrer (1919), Spathulata spuria (M.Bieb.) Á.Löve & D.Löve (1985)

Phedimus spurius (M.Bieb.) ‘t Hart is the accepted scientific name for this species of Phedimus. It was named and described as such by Henk ’t Hart in Evolution and Systematics of the Crassulaceae in 1995. It was first named and described as Sedum spurium M.Bieb. by Friedrich August Marschall von Bieberstein in Flora Taurico-Caucasica in 1808.

The genus, Phedimus Raf., was named and described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in the American Monthly Magazine and Critical Review in 1817.  

The genus, Sedum L., was named and described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.  

As of 12-15-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 18 species in the Phedimus genus. It is a member of the plant family Crassulaceae with 36 genera. POWO lists 476 species in the Sedum genus… Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

I had been in correspondence with one of the foremost Crassulaceae experts, Margrit Bischofberger of the International Crassulaceae Network, and she had this to say in an email in 2013…

“The genus Sedum in a wide sense has been used to accommodate a great number of sometimes fairly diverse plants. At the end of the last century botanists have begun to separate certain groups with distinctive features and give them new names, > Phedimus, > Hylotelephium, < Rhodiola, > Orostachys etc.

So now the correct name of a group of plants with flat leaves which are often serrate or dentate is Phedimus.

THERE ARE A FEW LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.

I brought this unlabeled Sedum home from Wagler’s Greenhouse in May 2015. No matter how many times I tell myself “NO MORE UNLABELED PLANTS” I do it anyway. It is a good thing I don’t say it out loud or I would be wasting my breath. I refer to the saying, “Take my advice, I’m not using it”, to myself. It works pretty well because I keep buying unlabeled plants.

I am almost 100% sure this plant is a Phedimus spurious (Syn. Sedum spurium) ‘Dragon’s Blood’ based on what was widely available and popular at the time. I posted photos on a Facebook group and several members also suggested that name.

Phedimus spurius ‘Dragon’s Blood’ is a cultivar of Sedum spurium which was developed in Germany under the name ‘Schorbuser (or Schorbusser) Blut’.

<<<<2017>>>>

I had also bought a Sedum from Mast’s Greenhouse the same year labeled Sunsparkler ‘Cherry Tart’. That plant just fizzled out and I forgot all about it until I ran across the label while I was cleaning out the bed. I remembered buying ‘Cherry Tart’ from Mast’s and found the original photo.

This Phedimus spurius ‘Dragon’s Blood’ has done remarkably well and filled this space in the bed behind the foundation of my grandparent’s old house.

While some of the time, most of the leaves are green, there is usually a small red margin. They are in full sun most of the day until very late in the afternoon when the sun passes over the foundation.

I have taken a lot of photos of this plant, which isn’t exactly just one plant anymore, to help verify its correct identity. Several other cultivars of Phedimus spurius look a lot alike. They are possibly the same but other companies have their own named.

It is always confusing when you have an unlabeled plant with a lot of possibilities. You have to consider what is widely available and popular at the time and pick a name and stick with it… 🙂 As with probably all Phedimus species, and many Sedum for that matter, its leaves change color with temperature and possibly day length. This will vary with your climate as well.

There is a similar cultivar called ‘Voodoo’

 I am running out of words…

 

 

This is a great photo taken in July… Cooler temperatures, especially in the evening, are causing this Sedum to change… Phedimus spurius has evergreen leaves on the top of their stems and the lower leaves are deciduous… So, when the temps drop, so do their lower leaves. You also notice the color of the leaves and even the stems on this particular cultivar.

<<<<2018>>>>

January of 2018 was VERY cold. We even had several evenings where the temp went down to -10° F by the wee hours of the morning. The upper leaves remained evergreen (or everred). 🙂

Still red on March 9, 2018, when the above photo was taken.

Showing some green now when the above photo was taken on April 8.

The other important thing to consider when trying to ID plants, especially with different Phedimus and Sedum species, is their flowers. Many species have unique flowers that help to ID them. I have had this Phedimus since 2015 and it has never flowered…

The Phedimus spurius (Syn. Sedum spurium) ‘Dragon’s Blood’ is looking very good now after a long winter…

 The Phedimus spurius ‘Dragon’s Blood’ was a nice green mat when the above photo was taken on May 6.

Ummm… FINALLY! IT HAS BUDS!!!

 

Well, there weren’t many stems with buds, but I am happy just to have a few.

Well, we are getting there…

 

 

 

 

Despite the heat and dry periods, the Phedimus all did very well in the summer of 2018.

<<<<2019>>>>

Although mostly leafless, we made it through the winter again. Soon the Phedimus will start turning green and start growing. Maybe it will flower more in 2019…

By April 7 when the above photo was taken, it was starting to green up already.

By May 5, it was doing even better!

Then, on May 25, I noticed a few buds… Very few…

Getting there.

By June 14, the buds were starting to open.

<<<<2020>>>>

The Phedimus spurius ‘Dragon’s Blood’ did very well over the summer of 2020. I was fairly busy over the summer with the garden so I didn’t take many photos.

<<<<2022>>>>

I didn’t take photos of the Phedimus spurius ‘Dragon’s Blood’ in 2021 or 2023. I thought I would take more photos of the perennials in the beds in 2022, but that didn’t happen. I did manage to take a photo of the Phedimus spurius ‘Dragon’s Blood’ on March 20.

I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant. Not all the links below have updated to the name Phedimus spurius and say Sedum spurium. We are all a work in progress…

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS)
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
LLIFLE (ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIVING FORMS)
DAVE’S GARDEN
GARDENIA
GARDENING KNOW HOW
INTERNATIONAL CRASSULACEAE NETWORK