Sedum

Sedum, a genus of plants of the natural order Crassulaceæ, having the calyx in four to eight (usually five) deep segments, which often resemble the leaves, the same number of spreading petals, twice as many stamens, and four to eight (usually five) ovaries, each with a nectariferous scale at the base. The species are numerous, with succulent, often roundish leaves, and pretty, star-like flowers. Many of them grow on rocks, whence the English name Stone-crop. They are natives of the temperate and cold parts of the northern hemisphere; some are British. They have no important uses; some are refrigerant, others are acrid. Among the British species are S. telephium, popularly called Orpine, sometimes used as a diuretic, and S. aere, the most common, whose brilliant yellow flowers adorn the tops of old walls, the debris around quarries, &c. Many of the dwarf-growing species are employed in the now popular style of flower-gardening called 'carpet-bedding.'