STONECROP.
Sedum spathulifolium, Hook. Stonecrop or Orpine Family.
Leaves.—Alternate; fleshy; spatulate; six to ten lines long; sessile; crowded in rosettes at the ends of the decumbent branches. Scapes.—Four to six inches high. Flowers.—In compound, one-sided, loose cymes; their parts four or five; pale-yellow. Sepals.—United at base. Petals.—Lanceolate; three lines long. Stamens.—Twice the number of the petals. Pistils.—Equaling the number of the petals; attenuate into the short styles. Ovaries.—One-celled. Hab.—Middle California to Vancouver Island.
Blooming somewhat earlier than the "hen-and-chickens," but in similar situations, the stonecrop often clothes rock-masses with beautiful color. The common name, "orpine," was given on account of the yellow, or orpine, flowers; and the name "stonecrop," from its always growing in stony places.