Leaf
Pascal Bergeot, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Orpine
Hylotelephium telephium (L.) H.Ohba
Also known as: Livelong, Live-forever
Family: Crassulaceae
30 to 60 cm tall
Gardens, rock gardens, banks, free-draining soils
Flowering: August – October
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to -30°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its cut stems keep flowering even out of the ground. 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.
🍃 Leaves
Fleshy, ovate, toothed, grey-green
🌸 Flowers
Large flat corymbs of small pink-purple flowers, very rich in nectar
🍎 Fruits
Small dry follicles
🪵 Bark
Upright fleshy stems, clump-forming habit
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, temperate Asia; common in dry meadows, banks and rock gardens in France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Late pink corymbs very rich in nectar, a major autumn resource for bees and butterflies, notably the Red Admiral and the Peacock.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Perennial borders, dry beds; one of the perennials most visited by butterflies in autumn.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No notable toxicity known.
🌱 Known cultivars
'Purple Emperor'
'Purple Emperor' is recognised by its dark purple, almost black foliage and stems, very different from the green foliage and pale stems of the wild species.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Orpine
Hylotelephium telephium
Showy stonecrop
Hylotelephium spectabile
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.
🌿 Other Crassulaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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