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Sempervivum tectorum L.

Common houseleek (en), Grande joubarbe (fr), Joubarbe des toits (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Saxifragales > Crassulaceae > Sempervivum

Characteristics

Leaves: rosettes usually open, 4-10 cm diam., producing offsets attached to parental plants by stout stolons; blade 1-1.5 cm wide, apex stoutly mucronate, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes sparingly hairy (some cultivars are hairy). Inflorescences erect, flat-topped to thyrsiform cymes, 10-40(-100+)-flowered, bracteate, (10-)20-30(-50) cm, usually 5-15 cm diam.; bracts 1 per flower, clasping at base, ovate-lanceolate, base narrow. Flowers: petals strongly reflexed at anthesis, 9-12 mm, margins entire, abaxially pubescent; stamens red to purple. 2n = (36, 40), 72.
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Plants with axillary stolons; rosette-lvs obovate or oblong-lanceolate, with a pungent mucro, narrowed to the base, ciliate, otherwise glabrous; flowering stems 3–6 dm; cauline lvs narrowly obovate to oblong, glandular-hairy; infl very pubescent, freely branched into several spreading cymes; fls mostly 12–16-merous; pet pink-purple, 1 cm, spreading, entire; 2n=36, 72. Native of Europe, sometimes escaped from cult. in our range, esp. in N. Engl. July–Sept.
A perennial herb. The leaves form in rosettes. It grows 8-15 cm high and spreads 30-50 cm wide. The leaves are blue-green. There are bristles at the tip. They turn red-purple. The flowers are purplish-pink.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 0.1 - 0.5
Mature height (meter) 0.15 - 0.2
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It is frost hardy. It can tolerate temperatures down to-12°C. It can tolerate temperatures to 38°C if shaded. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.
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Roofs, old walls, chimneys and rocks, especially on limestone.
Light 6-9
Soil humidity 2-7
Soil texture 3-8
Soil acidity 2-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-8

Usage

The leaves are eaten raw in salads. They are also used for making juices.
Uses environmental use magical plant medicinal ornamental
Edible leaves shoots
Therapeutic use Anti-inflammatory agents (leaf), Astringents (leaf), Parasympatholytics (leaf), Cooling effect on body (leaf), Dermatological Aid (unspecified), Ear Medicine (unspecified), Alterative (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Callus (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Corn (unspecified), Depurative (unspecified), Detersive (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Hemostat (unspecified), Inflammation (unspecified), Refrigerant (unspecified), Spasm (unspecified), Sting(Bee) (unspecified), Toothache (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Wart (unspecified), Vulnerary (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Tumor(Thigh) (unspecified), Anti-inflammatory agents (whole plant), Burns (whole plant), Otitis (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown from offsets.
Mode cuttings divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -23
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Sempervivum tectorum habit picture by Lionel ROCH (cc-by-sa)
Sempervivum tectorum habit picture by Michel Cosme (cc-by-sa)
Sempervivum tectorum habit picture by Pierre Sosson (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Sempervivum tectorum leaf picture by Patrick Nard (cc-by-sa)
Sempervivum tectorum leaf picture by Henriette Reinhardt (cc-by-sa)
Sempervivum tectorum leaf picture by Michelle Huart (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Sempervivum tectorum flower picture by Patrick Nard (cc-by-sa)
Sempervivum tectorum flower picture by The Raven Girl (cc-by-sa)
Sempervivum tectorum flower picture by Antonio Ruiz (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Sempervivum tectorum fruit picture by Llandrich anna (cc-by-sa)
Sempervivum tectorum fruit picture by Ollivier Levasseur (cc-by-sa)
Sempervivum tectorum fruit picture by Kai Best (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Sempervivum tectorum world distribution map, present in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Estonia, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Honduras, Croatia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Taiwan, Province of China, Ukraine, United States Minor Outlying Islands, United States of America, and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:276682-1
WFO ID wfo-0000441750
COL ID 4WJ47
BDTFX ID 62691
INPN ID 122493
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Sempervivum breviramum Sempervivum acuminatum Sempervivum lamottei Sempervivum luxurians Sempervivum compactum Sempervivum glaucum Sempervivum fuscum Sempervivum sabaudum Sempervivum spectabile Sempervivum obovatum Sempervivum celsicaule Sedum tectorum Sempervivum adoxum Sempervivum maitrea Sempervivum majus Sempervivum clusianum Sempervivum beugesiacum Sempervivum mettenianum Sempervivum decoloratum Sempervivum seusanum Sempervivum schottii Sempervivum rhodanicum Sempervivum rigidum Sempervivum saxosum Sempervivum royanum Sempervivum trifurcum Sempervivum triste Sempervivum pallescens Sempervivum pallidum Sempervivum praestabile Sempervivum validum Sempervivum venustum Sempervivum violascens Sedum majus Sempervivum boissieri Sempervivum juratense Sempervivum laetevirens Sempervivum pulverulentum Sempervivum speciosum Sempervivum crassifolium Sempervivum boutignyanum Sempervivum brachiatum Sempervivum brevistylum Sempervivum affine Sempervivum alpinum Sempervivum ambiguum Sempervivum andreanum Sempervivum rhenanum Sempervivum rupestre Sempervivum purpurascens Sempervivum tectorum var. andreanum Sempervivum tectorum var. rhenanum Sempervivum robustum Sempervivum tectorum

Lower taxons

Sempervivum tectorum subsp. cebennense
WorldFloraDB 2024