Leaf
Teresa Grau Ros · CC BY-SA 2.0
Showy stonecrop
Hylotelephium spectabile (Boreau) H.Ohba
Also known as: Ice plant
Family: Crassulaceae
40 to 60 cm tall
Planted in sunny borders and beds, free-draining soils
Flowering: August – October
Full sun
Hardy to about -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Showy stonecrop flowers late, from late summer into autumn, making it one of the last abundant sources of nectar for migrating butterflies, just before winter. 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
🌸 Flowers
Small, pink to red, grouped in large flat corymbs at the tips of the stems
🍎 Fruits
Small dry follicle
🪵 Bark
Fleshy, upright herbaceous stems forming a compact clump
🗺️ Distribution
Native to East Asia; widely grown in France as a garden perennial
🐝 Value for pollinators
Very nectar-rich late-summer flowering, one of the last important resources for butterflies and bees before autumn
✂️ Horticultural uses
Border perennial valued for its late flowering and its fleshy, drought-resistant foliage
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity
⚠️ Look-alike species
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.
🌿 Other Crassulaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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