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Life-everlasting

Hylotelephium telephium (hy-loh-teh-LEF-fee-um teh-LEF-fee-um)

Family: Crassulaceae Non-native Herbaceous (1-3 ft)

Stonecrop or Orpine is a succulent, herbaceous perennial with an erect and clumping habit. It is in the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae) and is native to Europe, Russia, and northern China. Hylo is the Greek word meaning forest or woodland. It is thought that the genus name honors Telephus, King of Mysia, who was the son of Hercules. The common name, orpine, is from an old French word orpiment and refers to an ancient variety of sedums. The species was formerly known as Sedum telephium and is still listed under that name in many older garden publications. Stonecrop prefers full sun and medium to dry, sandy, or shallow-rocky soil with a neutral to alkaline pH. They form white, carrot-shaped tap roots, which store water to help the plant survive during dry spells. Propagate stonecrop by division in the spring or stem cutting in the summer. It can regenerate from a single leaf. It is a low-maintenance plant that grows 2 to 2.5 feet tall 1.5 to 2 feet wide. Stonecrop’s tiny star-shaped pink to purplish-red flowers appear in dense clusters from mid-summer to early fall. The fleshy green to greenish-blue leaves and stems remain erect throughout the winter for added interest in the garden. This plant attracts bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Use stonecrop as a specimen or in borders in butterfly and pollinator, cottage, and cutting gardens or drought-tolerant and rock gardens. It can be sited in a meadow or grown in a container. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Slugs, scale, mealy bugs, nematodes, aphids, and weevils may be seen. May develop fungal and bacterial crown rot and root rot. Deer sometimes browse the foliage. VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Annuals, Perennials, Vines, and Groundcovers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Hylotelephium .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 60 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft) Optimal soil pH Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Hylotelephium telephioides
Fills a similar niche Achillea tomentosa Betonica officinalis Campanula isophylla

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Perennial; Succulent
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 6 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Blue; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Opposite; Whorled
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The leaves are simple and may appear alternate, opposite, or whorled. They range in color from green-bluish green, dull green to blue-green, or depending on the cultivar. The leaf blades are flat, elliptic, and ovate. The margins are coarsely serrated and curved. Each leaf is thick, glabrous, fleshy, and measure 1.5 to 4 inches long. The upper leaves appear fixed.
Flower color
Green; Pink; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy; White
Flower value
Good Cut; Good Dried; Showy
Flower form
Cyme; Umbel
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The flowers appear as a dense clusters which are rounded, umbellate, cyme, and flat topped. They emerge from the top of the stem or upper leaf axils. The cymes measure about 3 to 4 inches across. Each flower has 5 star-like spreading petals which are about 0.12 to 0.2 inches long. There are 10 stamens that are as long as the petals and 5 pistils. The flower's color ranges from pink to purplish red and sometimes white to greenish. As the flower fades, its color changes to a burgundy brown. They typically bloom from August to October.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
In the center of the flower, there are 5 tear-drop carpels. The carpels may develop into capsules.
Stem color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
The plant is upright to semi-upright, unbranched mound. The fleshy stems are tall measuring 18 to 24 inches in height. They are hairless and appear singularly or in multiples from the base. The stem color ranges from green to red-tinged, and they are mostly ascending and erect.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe, Russia, and North China
Wildlife value
Stonecrop attracts bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects for nectar and pollination.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule

Uses (ethnobotany)

During the Roman Empire, a naturalist known as Pliny prescribed Purple Orpine for treating wounds.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Meadow; Patio
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Cottage Garden; Cutting Garden; Drought Tolerant Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Border; Specimen
Garden tags
#succulent #herbaceous perennial #easy to grow #rock garden #nectar plant #nectar plant late summer #easy to propagate #nectar plant early fall #butterfly friendly #bee friendly #container plant #upright form #perennial #wildlife friendly #green roof #blue leaves
Problems & Resistance
Disease problems
Southern Blight of Herbaceous Ornamentals
Other problems
White-Tailed Deer
Resistant to
Drought; Dry Soil; Rabbits
Propagation
Division; Stem Cutting

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.

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