Common Name: orostachys
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Crassulaceae
Native Range: Japan
Zone: 5 to 8
Height: 0.25 to 0.50 feet
Spread: 0.25 to 1.00 feet
Bloom Time: August to September
Bloom Description: White to pale yellow
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover, Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Culture
Best grown in dry to medium moisture, well-drained, sandy loams in full sun. Needs good soil drainage to perform well. Avoid overwatering. Good resistance to drought. Site plants 12” apart for growth as a ground cover.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Orostachys aggregata is a succulent, sedum-like, low-growing perennial that forms basal rosettes to 4” tall and spreads over time to 12” or more. Oblong-to-oval, grayish-green leaves (to 1” long) are thick and fleshy. Leaves turn purplish in fall. Spikes of tiny white to pale yellow flowers in late summer bloom on upright stems. Spreads by forming plantlets at the tips of its stolons. Closely related to Sedum.
Genus name comes from the Greek oros meaning mountain and stachys meaning spike in reference to its mountain habitat and flowers in spikes.
Specific epithet means aggregated or clustered in a dense mass.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for aphids. Crown rot may occur in moist, poorly drained soils.
Uses
Best grown in rock gardens as an accent or small scale ground cover.