Sedum anglicum or English stonecrop, is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

 in the genus Sedum

Sedum

Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have...

in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Crassulaceae

Crassulaceae

Crassulaceae, or the orpine family, are a family of dicotyledons. They store water in their succulent leaves. They are found worldwide, but mostly occur in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Africa, typically in dry and/or cold areas where water may be scarce...

.

Description

English stonecrop is a low growing perennial with stubby, succulent un-toothed alternate leaves. These are often greyish green, and may turn pink in dry conditions. The flowers are short stalked and star-like, white sometimes tinged pink, with ten contrasting stamens and five carpels. The fruit are red.

Distribution and habitat

English stonecrop occurs in western Europe including Norway, Sweden, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Portugal and Spain. It is usually found on dry rocks, walls and sand dunes, often near the sea. It prefers acidic thin soils and thrives in crevices in rocks, on cliffs, and also grows inland on walls and hedge banks. In the United Kingdom it is much more common in the west of the country than in the east.