Scientific Name:
Sempervivum
(hybrid cvs.)
Pronunciation:
sem-pur-VYE-vum
Common Name:
hens and chicks, houseleek
Family Name:
Crassulaceae
Plant Type:
Broadleaf evergreen, Ground cover, Succulent or Cacti
Key ID Features:
Leaves succulent in a rosette with smaller rossettes clinging to the sides (like 'chicks'), florets with 11-16 petals on a thick leafy peduncle that rises 5-25cm above the rosette.
Habit:
Horizontal, Spreading
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.1 - 0.2m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Africa, Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Water Use:
Low, Winter dry, Summer dry
Landscape Uses:
Alpine, Container planting, Ground cover, Hanging basket, Perennial border, Rock garden, Winter interest
Additional Info:
Over 40 species that hybridize easily. A commonly a parent species is S. tectorum (see separate entry). Hybrid cultivars shown may include S. 'Oddity' and S. 'Pluto'. The parent plant will die after setting seed but the "chicks" will eventually flower. Compare to Zone 9 genera: Echeveria which may look similar but are polycarpic (flower and set seed many times during lifespan of individual plant), Aeonium, and Graptopetalum.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Spiraled, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Succulent
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Colour in Summer:
Green, Red, Dark-red
Colour in Fall:
Green, Red, Dark-red
Shapes:
Oblong, Obovate
Apices:
Aristate
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Ciliate
Inflorescence Type:
Cyme
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
11+
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Yellow, Purple, Pink, Red
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
May take several years to flower and then dies (but the 'chicks' carry on).
Fruit Type:
Follicle
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy, grouping
Bark or Stem Colour:
Organ Modifications:
Runners (or stolons), Succulent leaves
Propagation:
Seed, Division - above ground parts, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Crown rot, Root rot, Rust (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Drought tolerant)
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (BUG) BUG garden
- (ONE) Overpass North side East
- (ONW) Overpass North side West
- (PDW) PonD West