Sedum laxum
in H. G. A. Engler et al., Nat. Pflanzenfam. ed. 2, 18a: 451. 1930,.
Herbs, perennial, cespitose or not, glabrous. Stems root-stocks, ascending, much-branched, bearing rosettes. Leaves alternate, erect to spreading, sessile; blade green, glaucous or not, not pruinose, oblanceolate, spatulate, or obovate, subterete or somewhat flattened, 10–50 × (4.5–)6–33 mm, base not spurred, not scarious, apex truncate to rounded or obtuse, emarginate or barely notched. Flowering shoots erect or decumbent, simple or branched, 4–30(–40) cm; leaf blades oblanceolate, spatulate, obovate, or suborbiculate, base not spurred; offsets not formed. Inflorescences elongate, paniculate cymes, 12–80-flowered, monochasially 3+-branched; branches not recurved, 2-forked; bracts similar to leaves, smaller. Pedicels 0.6–6.3 mm. Flowers 5-merous; sepals erect, (closely appressed to corolla tube), slightly connate basally, pale green, ovate or lanceolate, equal, (2–)2.6–5.1 × 2 mm, apex acute or subacute, (rarely obtuse in var. flavidum); petals basally erect, divergent in distal 1/2, connate basally, pink, pinkish white, or white to yellowish white, lanceolate-oblong, oblanceolate-oblong, or elliptic-oblong, not carinate, 4–11 mm, apex obtuse, shortly mucronate or aristate; filaments white, greenish white, or pink; anthers red, reddish purple, red-brown, or yellow; nectar scales white, yellow, or pink, reniform or transversely oblong. Carpels erect in fruit, distinct, brown.
Distribution
w United States.
Discussion
Varieties 5 (5 in the flora).
Sedum laxum is unusual in forming offsets in axils of rosette leaves rather than on a rootstock or creeping stem.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
Key
| 1 | Flowering shoot leaf bases clasping stems. | Sedum laxum var. heckneri |
| 1 | Flowering shoot leaf bases not clasping stems | > 2 |
| 2 | Petals pale yellow or white with pink mid- veins; sepal apices obtuse. | Sedum laxum var. flavidum |
| 2 | Petals pink or white; sepal apices acute | > 3 |
| 3 | Flowering shoot leaf blades suborbiculate. | Sedum laxum var. eastwoodiae |
| 3 | Flowering shoot leaf blades spatulate to oblanceolate | > 4 |
| 4 | Leaf blades 9-17 mm wide | Sedum laxum var. laxum |
| 4 | Leaf blades 17-33 mm wide. | Sedum laxum var. latifolium |