Phedimus spurius (Syn. Sedum spurium) ‘Tri-Color’ on 5-10-10, #55-47.
Caucasian Stonecrop, Two-Row Stonecrop
Phedimus spurius ‘Tri-Color’
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.
Phedimus spurius (Syn. Sedum spurium) Tri-Color on 5-10-10, #55-48.
I brought my Phedimus spurius ‘Tri-Color’ home from Lowe’s in Greenville, Mississippi while living at the mansion in Leland. They were very nice plants with green leaves with a white margin. I must have bought two because one is a pot and one is in the ground.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Crassulaceae.
Origin: The Caucasus.
Zones: USDA Zones 4a-9b (-30 to 25° F)*
Size: 6” tall or so.
Light: Sun to light shade.
Soil: Well-drained.
Water: Average.
*Some websites say down to USDA Zone 3a.
As with most “groundcover-type” members of the plant family Crassulaceae, they prefer well-drained soil in sun to light shade. In areas with very hot summers, it is best to grow them where they have some shade during the heat of the day.
In my experience, they do well in a slightly elevated bed or in pots where their soil can drain well. They do NOT like wet feet, especially during the winter months.
Information online says the leaves grow up to 2” long. Lower leaves are deciduous while new leaves are evergreen which typically turns burgundy during the cooler months. The leaves are arranged in two rows along the stems which is where they get one of their common names. Information also says this cultivar has a tendency to revert and produce a few all green leaves which should be removed. They produce star-shaped pinkish-red flowers from May through July.
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.
The Belmont Rooster 