Leaf
Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Common houseleek
Sempervivum tectorum L.
Also known as: Houseleek, Roof houseleek
Family: Crassulaceae
10 to 15 cm as a rosette, flowering stem up to 50 cm
Roofs, low walls, rockeries, poor soils, even dry ones
Flowering: July – August
Full sun
Hardy to -30°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Formerly planted on thatched roofs because it was believed to protect houses from lightning. Common houseleek has larger rosettes, without filaments, with leaves often tinged red at the tip, whereas cobweb houseleek is recognisable by the fine white filaments linking the tips of its leaves.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, fleshy, arranged in compact rosettes, green to purple
🌸 Flowers
Pink-purple stars borne on a central stem, only once per rosette
🍎 Fruits
Small dry follicles
🪵 Bark
Fleshy rosettes forming dense clumps
🗺️ Distribution
Mountains of Europe; naturalised on old walls and roofs in France, traditionally planted to protect against fire.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Pink starry flowering stem rich in nectar, visited by bees and various insects in summer.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Green roofs, rockeries, low walls, pots; very drought-resistant.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Common houseleek
Sempervivum tectorum
Cobweb houseleek
Sempervivum arachnoideum
Common houseleek has larger rosettes, without filaments, with leaves often tinged red at the tip, whereas cobweb houseleek is recognisable by the fine white filaments linking the tips of its leaves.
🌿 Other Crassulaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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