Showy stonecrop or Orpine: how to tell them apart?
Showy stonecrop and Orpine look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Showy stonecrop
Hylotelephium spectabile
Orpine
Hylotelephium telephium
Showy stonecrop has opposite (sometimes whorled in threes or fours), glaucous, blue-grey, shallowly toothed leaves and purple stamens; orpine has alternate, brighter green, more clearly toothed leaves and yellow stamens. Orpine also grows wild in France, unlike showy stonecrop, which is only grown in gardens.
🍃 Leaves
Fleshy, ovate, grey-green, glaucous, opposite or whorled
Fleshy, ovate, toothed, grey-green
🌸 Flowers
Small, pink to red, grouped in large flat corymbs at the tips of the stems
Large flat corymbs of small pink-purple flowers, very rich in nectar
🍎 Fruits
Small dry follicle
Small dry follicles
🪵 Bark
Fleshy, upright herbaceous stems forming a compact clump
Upright fleshy stems, clump-forming habit
📏 Size
40 to 60 cm tall
30 to 60 cm tall
🗺️ Habitat
Planted in sunny borders and beds, free-draining soils
Gardens, rock gardens, banks, free-draining soils
⚠️ Toxicity
No known toxicity
No notable toxicity known.
🔎 And from the Orpine side
Orpine has alternate, bright green, clearly toothed leaves and yellow stamens, and also grows wild in France, whereas showy stonecrop, only grown in gardens, has opposite (sometimes whorled in threes or fours), glaucous, blue-grey, shallowly toothed leaves and purple stamens.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.