How do you recognise Biting stonecrop (Sedum acre)?

Leaf

Dominique Remaud, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Biting stonecrop

Sedum acre L.

Also known as: Goldmoss stonecrop, Wallpepper

Family: Crassulaceae

5 to 10 cm tall, forming a mat

Walls, roofs, rock gardens, all soils even very poor ones

Flowering: May – July

Full sun

Hardy to -25°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Its hot, peppery taste on the tongue earns it the nickname 'wall pepper'. White stonecrop has longer, almost cylindrical, blue-green leaves, with white flowers in a corymb, whereas biting stonecrop has small, very fleshy leaves like tightly packed scales and bright yellow flowers, with a hot, peppery taste.

🍃 Leaves

Evergreen, tiny, fleshy, overlapping, bright green

🌸 Flowers

Small bright yellow stars densely covering the mat

🍎 Fruits

Small dry follicles

🪵 Bark

Creeping stems forming a very dense mat

🗺️ Distribution

Europe, North Africa, western Asia; very common on walls, roofs and dry rock gardens in France.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Small bright yellow flowers very rich in nectar, very attractive to bees and hoverflies in summer.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Green roofs, rock gardens, low walls; very drought-resistant ground cover.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Slightly toxic and acrid-tasting, may irritate the skin and mucous membranes on contact or ingestion.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Biting stonecrop

Sedum acre

White stonecrop

Sedum album

White stonecrop has longer, almost cylindrical, blue-green leaves, with white flowers in a corymb, whereas biting stonecrop has small, very fleshy leaves like tightly packed scales and bright yellow flowers, with a hot, peppery taste.

🌿 Other Crassulaceae to discover

Cobweb houseleek

Sempervivum arachnoideum

Hylotelephium spectabile

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.