Plant Details

Sedum spectabile

Ice plant

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Common names

25 names · 21 languages
EnglishYour language
  • Butterfly Stonecrop[1][2]
  • Ice plant
  • Iceplant[2]
Other languages (20)
Dutch
  • Roze hemelsleutel[2]
French
  • Orpin remarquable
  • Sédum remarquable[2]
Chinese (Simplified)
  • 长药八宝[2]
Chinese (Traditional)
  • 長藥八寶[2]
Czech
  • rozchodníkovec nádherný[2]
Danish
  • Kinesisk sankt hansurt[2]
Estonian
  • kaunis kukehari[2]
Finnish
  • syysmaksaruoho[2]
German
  • Prächtige Fetthenne[2]
  • Prächtige Waldfetthenne[1]
Japanese
  • オオベンケイソウ[2]
Korean
  • 큰꿩의비름[2]
Lithuanian
  • Puošnioji vilkpupė[2]
Norwegian
  • oktoberbergknapp[2]
Polish
  • Rozchodnikowiec okazały[2]
Russian
  • Очитник видный[2]
Slovak
  • rozchodníkovec nádherný[2]
Swedish
  • kinesisk kärleksört[2]
Turkish
  • Sonbahar Ateşi[2]
Ukrainian
  • Очитник видний[2]
Language not specified
  • Showy stonecrop[1]
Sources & name notes (2)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Hylotelephium spectabile (Boreau) H.Ohba ↗

Common names from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20. License: CC BY.

Source records
  • Butterfly Stonecrop (EN) — VernacularName.tsv, line 174603; taxon 3NGSC.
  • Prächtige Waldfetthenne (DE) — VernacularName.tsv, line 174604; taxon 3NGSC.
  • Showy stonecrop — VernacularName.tsv, line 174605; taxon 3NGSC.
[2] Hylotelephium spectabile — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Butterfly Stonecrop — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • rozchodníkovec nádherný — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • Sédum remarquable — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • Kinesisk sankt hansurt — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • kaunis kukehari — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • oktoberbergknapp — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • syysmaksaruoho — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • Prächtige Fetthenne — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • Очитник видный — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • Puošnioji vilkpupė — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • オオベンケイソウ — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • kinesisk kärleksört — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • 큰꿩의비름 — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • 长药八宝 — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • Roze hemelsleutel — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • 長藥八寶 — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • Rozchodnikowiec okazały — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • Очитник видний — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • rozchodníkovec nádherný — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • Iceplant — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.
  • Sonbahar Ateşi — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 163908; Hylotelephium spectabile.

General information

Scientific name: Sedum spectabile
Accepted name (Kew): Hylotelephium spectabile View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited taxonomic treatment. Botanical references may use alternative names.

Sources [1] [2]
Botanical family: Crassulaceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Sedum (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: Ice plant
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Herbaceous, Ground cover
Catalogue size class: Small
Height: 0.3–0.61 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [3]
Spread: 0.3–0.61 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [3]
Growth rate: Moderate
Sources [3]
Foliage: Deciduous
Sources [3]
Growth habit: Clumping

Whole-plant habit and form as described by NC State.

Sources [3]
Life cycle: Perennial
Sources [3]

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b

USDA zones listed by NC State; winter survival does not establish reliable cropping.

Sources [3]
Soil moisture:
Well-drained, Occasionally Dry

Moisture and drainage conditions listed by NC State.

Sources [3]
Soil:
Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand, Shallow Rocky
Sources [3]
pH:
Acid (<6.0), Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Sources [3]
Light:
Full sun, Partial Shade
Sources [3]

Uses

Edible parts:
Leaves
Edibility rating:
(2)
Medicinal rating:
(1)
Functions:
Bee forage, Ground cover, Fragrant

Description

Leaves can be eaten both raw and cooked. They have a slimy texture but taste fairly neutral.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 15/08
Harvest ends: 15/10

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: TaxonomyBotanical family
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: WCVP version 16, wcvp_names.csv: Sedum spectabile Boreau, name ID 2489030, row 607493; Hylotelephium spectabile (Boreau) H.Ohba, name ID 2856999, row 1411762
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 589441; name ID 2483149; Sedum L.. Family column.

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.

  2. Catalogue of Life Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Sedum spectabile

    Taxonomic data from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20.

    Supports: Taxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: COL 2026-08-20, NameUsage.tsv line 5293738, ID VJSRN: Sedum spectabile Boreau (synonym). Accepted target: Hylotelephium spectabile (Boreau) H.Ohba, ID 3NGSC, line 409174.

    Source checked on .

  3. NC State Extension, North Carolina State University Hylotelephium spectabile — Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
    Supports: HeightSpreadGrowth rateFoliageGrowth habitLife cycleLightSoil moistureSoil textureSoil pHUSDA hardiness
    Relevant sections
    • Height: Dimensions > Height; Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
    • Spread: Dimensions > Width; Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
    • Growth rate: Growth Rate
    • Foliage: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
    • Growth habit: Habit/Form
    • Life cycle: Life Cycle
    • Light: Light
    • Soil moisture: Soil Drainage
    • Soil texture: Soil Texture
    • Soil pH: Soil pH
    • USDA hardiness: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

    Source checked on .