Sedum album L.

Almost prostrate, mat-forming, perennial herb with slender stems rooting freely at nodes and shortly ascending in distal part, minutely glandular-hairy when young. Lvs alternate, sessile, confined to erect part of stem, dense and loosely imbricate but not forming terminal rosettes, 3–6–(17) × 2–4 mm, 1–3 mm thick, broadly ellipsoid, ellipsoid-obovoid or oblong, subterete and slightly flattened on upper side, entire, glabrous, dark green, brownish green, reddish green or glaucescent; apex rounded. Infl. terminal, 5–15 cm high, a flattened or corymbose, rather dense, glabrous cyme 2–5 × 3–6 cm; bracts very small and not leaflike, often caducous. Fls numerous, with pedicels 1–2 mm long, not secund. Sepals equal, c. 1.5 mm long, broadly elliptic. Petals 5, patent, 3–4 × 1.2–1.7 mm, lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, white, sharply acute. Stamens c. 3 mm long; filaments white; anthers purple. Carpels and styles white, ageing pink. Scales ± semi-lunate or very broadly spathulate. Follicles pinkish or streaked with red, ± parallel. Seed 0.8–1 mm long, ± narrowly ellipsoid, longitudinally ribbed.

[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]

Flowering: Dec.–Mar.