How to identify Golden japanese sedum (Sedum makinoi)

How to identify Golden japanese sedum (Sedum makinoi)

Golden japanese sedum is a hardy, evergreen succulent belonging to the diverse Sedum genus. This perennial plant is characterized by its fleshy, glossy, and vibrant green leaves that often take on a flat or rounded shape. The leaves are arranged in a neat rosette fashion, contributing to a lush, mat-forming groundcover that tends to sprawl elegantly over rocks and garden surfaces. Golden japanese sedum's stems are stout, typically growing low to the ground, and can spread out to about 12 inches (30 cm) wide. Its compact structure and durability make it a favored choice for rock gardens and container plantings.

Lifespan: Perennial

Plant Type: Herb

Leaf Type: Semi-evergreen

Quickly Identify Golden japanese sedum

Fleshy, glossy, vibrant green rosette leaves

Terminal clusters of star-shaped yellow flowers

Low, thick green stems with hint of red

Compact structure suitable for rock gardens

Leaves tightly packed, blunt, conical, pale green

Detailed Traits of Golden japanese sedum

Leaf Features

Golden japanese sedum has a thick cover of blunt, conical, pale green leaves, each measuring up to 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) long. These small leaves are tightly packed, overlapping like shingles. They have a smooth texture and are uniformly colored, without prominent vein patterns. The leaves’ arrangement provides a distinctive look, making them a key identification feature of golden japanese sedum.

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Flower Features

Golden japanese sedum produces small, terminal clusters of tiny, star-shaped, five-petaled, yellow flowers, each measuring up to 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) across. These blossoms appear in flat, terminal inflorescences just above the foliage from mid to late summer, creating a striking visual display. The flowers' vibrant yellow hue and distinctive star-shaped petals make them easily distinguishable, adding to the plant's ornamental value.

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Stem Features

Golden japanese sedum features low, thick stems that are somewhat succulent and fleshy. The stems are typically green, with a hint of red or purple in high light conditions. They are smooth to the touch and can grow up to 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) long, often branching prolifically to form a dense mat. The thickness of the stems is about 0.2-0.3 inches (0.5-0.8 cm). The stem's robustness helps it retain water, making it well-suited for drought conditions.

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Golden japanese sedum and Their Similar Plants

Coppertone sedum vs. Golden japanese sedum: What's The Difference?

The coppertone sedum is a small, succulent plant with a light green or orange appearance. It grows best in sunny environments. Originally native to Mexico, the coppertone sedum has spread around the world as a windowsill plant, and is especially popular in the Canary Islands and Italy.

Carpet sedum vs. Golden japanese sedum: What's The Difference?

Carpet sedum (Sedum lineare) is also known as variegated stonecrop and needle stonecrop. It’s an exceedingly low-maintenance plant. In fact, one of the reasons it’s called stonecrop is that farmers have joked that “only stones need less care than sedum.” Another reason is the plant is often found growing over stones and rocks.

Burro's tail vs. Golden japanese sedum: What's The Difference?

The stems of burro's tail grow upright at first, then bend when they reach a certain height and creep to the ground. This makes them perfect for planting in large hanging pots. Plant a hanging pot full of burro's tail seedlings and over time they will slowly form a "waterfall" shape.

White stonecrop vs. Golden japanese sedum: What's The Difference?

White stonecrop (Sedum album) is a flowering plant species that often grows in crevices or free-draining rocky soil. White stonecrop grows in temperate regions all over the world. It is adapted to grow in dry, thin soils and is often found growing on walls, dry banks, seashore rocks and in rocky meadows. This species grows low to the ground and cannot compete when there are other, fast-growing species in the same area.

Jellybeans vs. Golden japanese sedum: What's The Difference?

Jellybeans (Sedum pachyphyllum) is a succulent plant native to Mexico and popularized as a houseplant. Jellybeans is an easy plant to care for and good for beginners in houseplants and gardening. It can survive in both moist and dry soil and survives without watering for longer periods of time than most plants.

Stringy stonecrop vs. Golden japanese sedum: What's The Difference?

Stringy stonecrop is a perennial plant with stems that can be up to 25 cm length. It has star-shaped flowers that are yellow-green. This plant is extremely easy to propagate, simply pushing one of the stems into the ground in your desired location is enough to usually cause stringy stonecrop to take root.

Goldmoss stonecrop vs. Golden japanese sedum: What's The Difference?

The goldmoss stonecrop is a flowering perennial with star-shaped flowers. It is commonly used in hanging baskets and other container gardens as groundcover and trailing accents. Because of its spicy and peppery flavor, the leaves and stems of this plant are used as flavor enhancers in some recipes.

Tree stonecrop vs. Golden japanese sedum: What's The Difference?

Tree stonecrop (Sedum dendroideum) is a perennial shrub native to Mexico. It grows best in warm, arid environments, but it can survive in cooler climates. Tree stonecrop is naturalized in California within the United States and is often cultivated in gardens.

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Key Facts About Golden japanese sedum

Attributes of Golden japanese sedum

Lifespan

Perennial

Plant Type

Herb

Plant Height

10 cm

Spread

45 cm

Flower Size

2.5 cm

Flower Color

Yellow

Leaf type

Semi-evergreen

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Scientific Classification of Golden japanese sedum

Phylum

Vascular plants

Class

Dicotyledons

Order

Saxifrages, stonecrops and allies

Family

Stonecrop

Genus

Stonecrops

Species

Golden japanese sedum (Sedum makinoi)

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Distribution Map of Golden japanese sedum

Golden japanese sedum is native to Eastern Asia, where its growth is concentrated in the temperate regions. It has been successfully introduced and cultivated in various parts of the world, thriving particularly in areas that can replicate its native climate and soil conditions. Golden japanese sedum has adapted to a broader range across continents through cultivation.

Native

Cultivated

Invasive

Potentially invasive

Exotic

No species reported

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A Comprehensive Guide to Golden japanese sedum How to Grow and Care for Golden japanese sedum