Sedum hispanicum (Spanish stonecrop, "Usuyukimannengusa")

Japanese name: ウスユキマンネングサ （薄雪万年草）
Scientific name: Sedum hispanicum

[Overview]
An annual or perennial 5–20 cm tall.
The whole plant is bright green with a powdery white cast, and is often tinged with red.
The stems branch well at the base and spread in a mat.
The leaves are simple and spirally alternate, linear to oblong-lanceolate, 0.4–0.7 cm long and 0.1–0.3 cm wide, cylindrical with rounded tips, and fleshy.
Cymes at the stem tips bear 1–8 white 6-petaled flowers (sometimes 7–9-petaled) about 1 cm across, opening in a star shape.
The petals are lanceolate to narrowly ovate with pointed tips, and have a reddish line down the center.

[History]
It arrived in Japan in the Taisho era, and plants cultivated for ornament have escaped into the wild.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division, stem cuttings, or from seed.
It prefers sunny, well-drained soil.
For potted plants, water thoroughly in spring and autumn when the soil surface dries; in summer, place the pot where it is sheltered from rain and water sparingly; in winter, rainfall is sufficient.
For plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Fertilize sparingly, applying a small amount of liquid fertilizer in spring and autumn.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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