Practical
Plants

Sempervivum caucasicum

a perennial evergreen member of the Sempervivum genus in the family Crassulaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Height
0.2 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw[4].

Plant part
Leaves

Environment

Range
W. Asia - Caucasus.
Habitat
Sandy and calcareous soils, schistose rocks in alpine and sub-alpine zones[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - surface sow early spring in a cold frame. It usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 10°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer if they have made sufficient growth, otherwise grow them on for a further year in pots before planting them out[K]. Division of offsets in spring or early summer. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer. Plants can also be divided in September but these divisions should be overwintered in a greenhouse. Stem cuttings.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a well-drained gritty soil in full sun[3]. Succeeds in any sandy soil[1], doing well in very little soil in rock crevices, walls, paths etc so long as there is sufficient humus[3]. Established plants are drought tolerant[3]. Dislikes winter wet[3]. Hardy to about -15°c[3]. Individual rosettes die after flowering, but produce a number of offsets that continue to grow[2]. This species is closely related to S. tectorum[1].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  4. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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