Phedimus kamtschaticus
{{Short description|Species of succulent plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Phedimus kamtschaticus in Oslo.jpg
| genus = Phedimus
| species = kamtschaticus
| authority = (Fisch.) 't Hart
| synonyms = {{Species list | hidden=yes
| Aizopsis florifera | (Praeger) P.V.Heath
| Aizopsis kurilensis | (Vorosch.) S.B.Gontch.
| Aizopsis takesimensis | (Nakai) P.V.Heath
| Phedimus florifer | (Praeger) 't Hart
| Phedimus takesimensis | (Nakai) 't Hart
| Sedum floriferum | Praeger
| Sedum kamtschaticum | Fisch.
| Sedum kurilense | Vorosch.
| Sedum sikokianum subsp. kurilense | (Vorosch.) Vorosch.
| Sedum takesimense | Nakai
}}
}}
Phedimus kamtschaticus, the orange stonecrop, is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae. It is a low-growing herbaceous perennial native to eastern Russia, northeastern China, Korea, and Japan. The species is commonly grown as an ornamental plant, and has escaped cultivation in Europe and the US.
Description
Phedimus kamtschaticus is a succulent, clump-forming herbaceous perennial plant.{{cite book |last1=Pearman |first1=D.A. |last2=Dines |first2=T.D. |editor-last=Stroh |editor-first=P.A. |editor-last2=Walker |editor-first2=K.J. |editor-last3=Humphrey |editor-first3=T.A. |editor-last4=Pescott |editor-first4=O.L. |editor-last5=Burkmar |editor-first5=R.J. |chapter=Phedimus kamtschaticus |title=Plant Atlas 2020: Mapping Changes in the Distribution of the British and Irish Flora |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-691-24760-1 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xWqLEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA189 |access-date=30 January 2025 |page=190 }} It has a thick, woody, and branched rootstock. The stems grow mostly straight, reaching 15 to 40 cm tall, and may sometimes have tiny, wart-like bumps. The leaves grow either one by one along the stem or in pairs, and rarely in groups of three. They are narrow and spoon-shaped or broad and oval, measuring 2.5–7 cm long and 0.5–3 cm wide. The base of each leaf is narrow and tapers to a point, while the edges near the tip may have small, rounded or sharp teeth. The tip of the leaf is blunt or rounded.{{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 foliage is semi-evergreen; it mostly disappears through winter.
The flowers are star-shaped and produced in early summer, growing at the very end of the stem. Each flower has five unevenly sized parts. The small green sepals (leaf-like structures that protect the flower bud) are 3–4 mm long, narrow, and have a broad base with a blunt tip. The yellow petals are 6–8 mm long, narrow and pointed, with a noticeable ridge running along the underside. Their tips taper to a fine point, sometimes with a tiny extension.
File:(MHNT) Phedimus kamtschaticus - inflorescence and foliage - Les Martels, Giroussens Tarn.jpg
The flower contains 10 stamens (the pollen-producing parts), which are slightly shorter than the petals, with orange anthers at the tips. At the base of the flower, there are tiny, four-sided nectar glands. The carpels (which develop into seed pods) stand upright and are about the same length as the petals or slightly shorter. They have a slight bulge on the inner side and are fused together at the base for about 2 mm. In late summer, the flowers give way to follicles (dry seed pods) that spread out in a star-like, horizontal pattern. The fruits turn russet red in autumn. The seeds themselves are tiny, brown, and oval-shaped. The specific epithet, kamtschaticus, refers to its provenance from the Kamchatka Peninsula.{{cite book |last1=Eggli |first1=U. |last2=Newton |first2=L.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=125 }}
Distribution and habitat
Phedimus kamtschaticus is found on rocky slopes at elevations ranging from 600 to 1,800 meters. The species is distributed throughout several provinces in northern China, such as Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia. Beyond China, it also occurs in Japan, Korea, and Russia. In Russia, this species is found across a broad range, including Amur, Kamchatka, Khabarovsk, the Kuril Islands, Magadan, Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin, and Yakutia.
Phedimus kamtschaticus has been introduced to the US state of New York, Norway, Germany, Austria, and the Baltic states.{{cite POWO |id=986644-1 |title=Phedimus kamtschaticus |access-date=30 March 2024 }} The species sometimes persists as a remnant of cultivation or escapes as a discarded garden plant, appearing along roadsides, railway embankments, and disturbed ground. It occasionally spreads by self-seeding. Its first documented occurrence in the wild in the United Kingdom was in 1981 at Slepe Heath, Dorset. Although its distribution remains patchy, records suggest it is becoming more widespread.
Uses
Phedimus kamtschaticus is easily grown in well-draining soil with moderate to low moisture and full sunlight. It adapts well to sandy or rocky ground and can withstand heat and nutrient-poor conditions. Proper drainage is essential for healthy growth, but the species tolerates much more moisture in the soil than other stonecrops;{{cite book |author=Royal Botanic Gardens Kew |title=Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Alpines |publisher=Frances Lincoln |series=Kew Experts |year=2024 |isbn=978-0-7112-9044-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbznEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA121 |access-date=30 January 2025 |page=121 }} it is also less drought tolerant. It is commonly used in containers and rock gardens, but may also be grown as a small area groundcover and in green roof plantings.{{cite book |last=Sutton |first=Richard K. |title=Green Roof Ecosystems |publisher=Springer International Publishing |series=Ecological Studies |year=2015 |isbn=978-3-319-14983-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zlHMCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA89 |access-date=30 January 2025 |page=89 }}
Under its synonym Sedum kamtschaticum, it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web |title=Sedum kamtschaticum orange stonecrop |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/16964/Sedum-kamtschaticum/Details |date=2021 |publisher=The Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=22 June 2021 }} In addition, the putative variety Sedum kamtschaticum var. ellacombeanum and the 'Variegatum' cultivar have also gained the award.{{cite web |title=Sedum kamtschaticum var. ellacombeanum orange stonecrop |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/60115/Sedum-kamtschaticum-var-ellacombeanum/Details |date=2021 |publisher=The Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=22 June 2021 }}{{cite web |title=Sedum kamtschaticum var. kamtschaticum 'Variegatum' (v) variegated orange stonecrop |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/64282/Sedum-kamtschaticum-var-kamtschaticum-Variegatum-(v)/Details |date=2021 |publisher=The Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=22 June 2021 }} 'Weihenstephaner Gold' (named after Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf) is particularly popular among commercial growers. All the cultivars have yellow blooms,{{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 }} but the flowers of 'Weihenstaphaner Gold' gain pink tones as they age.{{cite web |title=Sedum kamtschaticum var. floriferum 'Weihenstephaner Gold' |url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=254199&isprofile=0&gen=Sedum |access-date=30 January 2025 |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden }}
Phedimus kamtschaticus 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 }} In Chinese herbal medicine, P. kamtschaticus is applied freshly crushed to wounds, burns, snakebites, or other injuries to ease pain, reduce swelling, and improve blood flow.{{cite book |last1=Duke |first1=James A. |last2=Ayensu |first2=Edward S. |title=Medicinal Plants of China |publisher=Reference Publications |series=Medicinal plants of the world |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-917256-27-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMNqAAAAMAAJ |access-date=31 January 2025 |page=267 }}
References
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Category:Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine
Category:Flora of North-Central China
Category:Flora of Inner Mongolia