Phedimus aizoon
{{Short description|Species of succulent plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| image =Sedum aizoon var floribundum1.jpg
| genus = Phedimus
| species = aizoon
| authority = (L.) 't Hart
| synonyms = {{Species list | hidden=yes
| Aizopsis aizoon | (L.) Grulich
| Anacampseros aizoon | (L.) Haw.
| Sedum aizoon | L.
}}
}}
Phedimus aizoon is a species of succulent herbaceous perennial plant in the family Crassulaceae. It is native to China, the Russian Far East, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, where it grows on rugged terrain. It is commonly used as an ornamental plant, but is also edible.
Description
Phedimus aizoon is a non-creeping stonecrop that regrows annually from a sturdy, woody rootstock. It has tuberous roots that range from carrot-shaped to narrowly conical. It produces one to three upright, unbranched stems, typically growing between 20 and 50 cm tall. The leaves are arranged alternately along the stem and vary in shape, from narrow and lance-like to broader forms such as elliptic, ovate, or nearly round. They measure 3.5–8 cm in length and 0.5–3 cm in width, with a wedge-shaped base and an irregularly serrated edge. The tip may be rounded or pointed.{{cite book | last1=Wu | first1=Zhengyi | last2=Raven | first2=Peter H. | title=Flora of China: Brassicaceae through Saxifragaceae | publisher=Science Press | year=2001 | isbn=978-7-03-009359-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dxx3HXMrrk8C | access-date=29 January 2025 | page=220}} The leaves are deciduous.
The flowers appear in horizontally branched clusters with numerous blooms and leaf-like bracts. Each flower has five unevenly sized segments. The sepals are slender, measuring 3–5 mm long, with an obtuse tip. The yellow petals are oblong to lance-shaped, spanning 6–10 mm, and taper to a fine point. The flower contains ten stamens, which are shorter than the petals. Small, four-sided nectar glands about 0.3 mm in size are present at the base. The carpels, which later form seed pods, are oblong with a convex outer surface and are fused together at the base. The styles are slender and tapering. As the plant matures, it produces star-like seed pods about 7 mm long. The seeds themselves are tiny, ellipsoid, and approximately 1 mm in size. This species typically flowers in early summer and fruits in late summer.{{cite book | last1=Wu | first1=Zhengyi | last2=Raven | first2=Peter H. | title=Flora of China: Brassicaceae through Saxifragaceae | publisher=Science Press | year=2001 | isbn=978-7-03-009359-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dxx3HXMrrk8C | access-date=29 January 2025 | page=220}}
The specific epithet, derived from Greek, means "everliving",{{cite book | last1=Eggli | first1=Urs | last2=Newton | first2=Leonard E. | title=Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names | publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg | year=2013 | isbn=978-3-662-07125-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gf3uCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA4 | access-date=1 February 2025 | page=4}} likely referring to the ability of most stonecrops to persist as hardy, long-lasting plants. The botanist Harald Fröderström considered Phedimus kamtschaticus and P. aizoon to be a single, highly variable species, but today they are recognized as distinct species within a large species complex.{{cite journal| first=Duke|last=Benadom| title=Superb Succulents|journal=Journal of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America | volume=77|issue= 1–6 | year=2005 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pflNAQAAIAAJ | access-date=30 January 2025 | page=48-49|doi=10.2985/0007-9367(2005)77[48:SS]2.0.CO;2 | url-access=subscription }} Two varieties of Phedimus aizoon are widely recognized: P. aizoon var. aizoon and P. aizoon var. scaber.
Distribution and habitat
File:Phedimus aizoon 390250715.jpg
Phedimus aizoon is typically found in rugged environments, such as the edges of ravines in valleys, grasslands on rocky slopes, and dry, sunny areas on mountains. It also grows in sandy or grassy habitats on slopes, field edges, and rocky crevices. The species thrives at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 3,100 meters.
Native to Central and East Asia, Phedimus aizoon occurs across much of Russia, including Altay, Amur, Buryatia, Chita, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Primorye, Sakhalin, Tuva, West Siberia, and Yakutia. It is also found in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Korea, Japan, the Kuril Islands, and several regions of China: North China, Central China, East China, South China, South-Central China, Southeast China, and South-West China. The species has been introduced to Europe (Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Scandinavian and Baltic countries), Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Maritimes), and the United States (New England, the Midwest, and the Great Lakes region). The plants have been spreading as garden escapees.{{cite book | last=Mohlenbrock | first=R.H. | title=Vascular Flora of Illinois: A Field Guide, Fourth Edition | publisher=Southern Illinois University Press | year=2013 | isbn=978-0-8093-3208-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aCd6CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA206 | access-date=1 February 2025 | page=206}}{{cite book | last1=Rhoads | first1=A.F. | last2=Klein | first2=W.M. | title=The Vascular Flora of Pennsylvania: Annotated Checklist and Atlas | publisher=American Philosophical Society | series=American Philosophical Society: Memoirs of the | year=1993 | isbn=978-0-87169-207-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aVVW4tVmgOoC&pg=PA167 | access-date=1 February 2025 | page=167}}{{cite book | last1=Morton | first1=J.K. | last2=Venn | first2=J.M. | last3=Gunn | first3=D.R. | title=The Flora of Manitoulin Island and the Adjacent Islands of Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and the North Channel | publisher=Department of Biology, University of Waterloo | series=University of Waterloo biology series | year=2000 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-KgkAQAAMAAJ | access-date=1 February 2025 | page=}}
Uses
Phedimus aizoon is edible. Young leaves and stems may be cooked.{{cite book | last=Kunkel | first=Günther | title=Plants for Human Consumption: An Annotated Checklist of the Edible Phanerogams and Ferns | publisher=Koeltz Scientific Books | year=1984 | isbn=978-3-87429-216-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7L0H0WBBMOkC&pg=PA333 | access-date=31 January 2025 | page=328}} The species is traditionally used in Chinese herbal medicine.{{cite journal | last1=Liu | first1=Yuhang | last2=He | first2=Zhongqun | last3=Xie | first3=Yongdong | last4=Su | first4=Lihong | last5=Zhang | first5=Ruijie | last6=Wang | first6=Haixia | last7=Li | first7=Chunyan | last8=Long | first8=Shengju | title=Drought resistance mechanisms of Phedimus aizoon L. | journal=Scientific Reports | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=11 | issue=1 | date=30 June 2021 | issn=2045-2322 | doi=10.1038/s41598-021-93118-7 | doi-access=free | url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93118-7.pdf | access-date=1 February 2025 | page=13600| pmid=34193957 | pmc=8245562 | bibcode=2021NatSR..1113600L }} Flavonoids from P. aizoon exhibited antibacterial activity against lactic acid bacteria in vitro and extended the shelf life of refrigerated pork by inhibiting microbial growth, color loss, and the oxidation of myoglobin.{{cite journal | last1=Xu | first1=Feng | last2=Wang | first2=Chunxing | last3=Wang | first3=Hongfei | last4=Xiong | first4=Qian | last5=Wei | first5=Yingying | last6=Shao | first6=Xingfeng | title=Antimicrobial action of flavonoids from Sedum aizoon L. against lactic acid bacteria in vitro and in refrigerated fresh pork meat | journal=Journal of Functional Foods | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=40 | year=2018 | issn=1756-4646 | doi=10.1016/j.jff.2017.09.030 | pages=744–750}}
The flavonoids of P. aizoon have been found to have strong antioxidant effects, help regulate blood sugar and fat levels, and protect organs from damage in mice with type 1 diabetes by reducing oxidative stress, suggesting their potential use in diabetes-friendly functional foods.{{cite journal | last1=Qi | first1=Xin | last2=Lu | first2=Xin-tong | last3=Sun | first3=Xi-han | last4=Lin | first4=Chang-qing | last5=Cui | first5=Cheng-bi | title=The regulatory effect of total flavonoids of Sedum aizoon L. on oxidative stress in type 1 diabetic mice | journal=Current Research in Food Science | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=5 | year=2022 | issn=2665-9271 | doi=10.1016/j.crfs.2022.06.010 | doi-access=free | pages=1140–1147| pmid=35865805 | pmc=9294556 }}
File:Phedimus aizoon IMG 8786 Rakbergknapp hovedöya.JPG, is well-suited to use in cottage gardens.]]
Phedimus aizoon is commonly grown as an ornamental plant. It thrives in rocky, shallow, dry to moderately moist, well-drained soils with low to moderate fertility, ranging from limestone to sandstone. It prefers full sun but tolerates light shade well and adapts to moist conditions if drainage is adequate. Under ideal conditions, it readily self-seeds.{{cite web | title=Sedum aizoon | website=Missouri Botanical Garden | url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279384&isprofile=1&gen=Sedum | access-date=1 February 2025}} Most cultivated varieties are relatively tall, reaching up to 100 cm, and typically complete their growing cycle by mid-summer. This species is commonly found in two colorful forms: one with bright green foliage and vivid yellow flowers, and another with darker, wine-brown leaves and richer golden blooms. The species is particularly suitable to cottage gardens, and due to its extreme drought tolerance, to green roofs.{{cite journal | last1=Zhang | first1=Hui | last2=Fan | first2=Xifeng | last3=Ren | first3=Lipeng | last4=Jiang | first4=Yi | last5=Wu | first5=Juying | last6=Zhao | first6=Huien | title=Crassulacean plant succession over eight years on an unirrigated green roof in Beijing | journal=Urban Forestry & Urban Greening | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=63 | year=2021 | issn=1618-8667 | doi=10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127189 | page=127189| bibcode=2021UFUG...6327189Z }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q309780}}
Category:Flora of North-Central China
Category:Flora of South-Central China
Category:Flora of Southeast China
Category:Flora of Inner Mongolia
Category:Flora of West Siberia
Category:Flora of Primorsky Krai
Category:Flora of the Kuril Islands