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| Spearleaf stonecrop, Sedum lanceolatum |
Spearleaf stonecrop, also called lanceleaf stonecrop, Sedum lanceolatum, is native across the western half of North America; in Colorado it is grows in the Rocky Mountains above 5000', its range goes west from there.
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| spearleaf stonecrop, Sedum lanceolatum |
The name Sedum is derived from the Latin sedeo, to sit, because many Sedum species spread over the ground and rocks, looking to the Romans like they sit on the rock. Small spearleaf stonecrop plants are pretty compact, but older ones will sprawl. The species epithet lanceolata means "lance or spear-like" referring to the leaves, and so, is reflected in the common name spearleaf. This name helps distinguish it from the other common succulent of the West, roseroot stonecrop (Rhodiola integrifolia, formerly Sedum integrifolium) which has flattened leaves. Stonecrop is thought to use an obsolete meaning of the word crop: "The ‘head’ of a herb, flower, etc., esp. as gathered for culinary or medicinal purposes; a cyme; an ear of corn, a young sprout, etc." recorded from Old English until 1786, according to the Oxford English Dictionary ("Crop, n, II.3."). However, they put a "?" by it, which allows me to speculate that, since "crop" also means "A pouch-like enlargement of the œsophagus or gullet in many birds" it could be that stonecrops looked to the English as a rounded pouch, which they found by rocks. Even spearleaf stonecrop's spearlike leaves are little pouches of moisture.
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| Spearleaf stonecrop leaves in early spring |
The leaves are evergreen, staying attached, succulent, and faintly green all winter.
Stonecrops are succulents, their leaves are inflated and tissues inside retain water. In addition, stonecrops have a chemical pathway for photosynthesis, characteristic of this plant family, called crassulacean acid metabolism (abbreviated CAM). CAM lets stonecrops open the stomates in their leaves in the night to take in and store the carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis. They can then carry out photosythesis, which needs light, during the day but with the stomates of the leaves, which let air in and out, closed. Because nights are more humid than days, especially in dry climates, this is an important trait adapting stonecrops to dry conditions. In most plants, stomates open by day to get carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and the plants lose a lot of water vapor in the process. When it is dry, ordinary plants soon stop growing (doing photosynthesis) to avoid dehydration. Thus, CAM plants, including spearleaf stonecrop, are found in dry climates and on dry sites within those climates, such as exposed slopes, rocky hillsides and shallow soils.
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| spearleaf stonecrop |
Spearleaf stonecrop is edible but was also used by the Okanagan-Colville of British Columbia as a laxative. My foraging books from the West thought spearleaf stonecrop tasted good raw, the leaves a crisp treat, and noted it was a good source of water. Spearleaf stonecrop was also prepared cooked or pickled. The flavor is mild flavor and it is mucilagenous like okra. Apparently all stonecrops can be eaten and, across the world, many are popular foods. The red-flowered Rhodiola integrifolium, (about) also widespread across the American West, is a favorite of foragers. Most but not all the foraging books liked roseroot stonecrop better than spearleaf stonecrop, and there are many more reports of Native American uses of Rhodiola. However, none of the foragers who wrote about how they prepared spearleaf stonecrop reported a problem with indigestion or diarrhea.
The juice is rich in vitamins A and C. A poultice of leaves or leaf juice treats skin irritations. Take as a tea for sore throats or to calm diarrhea. It does not appear in modern herbal medicine sources, which are heavily
Spearleaf sedum is pollinated by bumblebees, across its range many different bumblebee species. It is also visited by butterflies and other nectar-feeders.
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| butterfly on spearleaf stonecrop |
Spearleaf stonecrop is the primary food plant of the Rocky Mountain apollo butterfly (Parnassius smintheus) and the butterflies reportedly then feed from the flowers. (Pictures on wikipedia link. My photo with the butterfly--above--was taken in Rocky Mountain National Park at about 8000' elevation but isn't good enough to identify the butterfly.) Nymphalid butterfly larvae of the variegated fritillary Eutoieta claudia, and Lycaenid larvae of the moss elfin Incisalia mossii have also been found feeding on the leaves.
Spearleaf stonecrops rarely are more than a few inches tall, but they have bright flowers that light up the forest floor.
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| spearleaf stonecrop on rocky soil, half under a neighboring plant |
Comments and corrections welcome.
References
Harrington, H. D. 1967. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque New Mexico.
HOSTS International list of lepidopteran host plants. Looking up Sedum lanceolatum link Accessed 3/30/25
Kershaw, L. 2000. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies. Lone Pine Press. Auburn Washington.
Moerman, D.E. 1998. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. Portland, Oregon. online Accessed 3/30/25
Montana Field Guides 2025. Lanceleaf Stonecrop, Sedum lanceolatum mt.gov link Accessed 3/30/25
O'Brien, M. and K. Vail. 2016. Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Southern Rockies. Leaning Tree Tales.
Oxford University Press. (n.d.). Crop, n. In Oxford English dictionary. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/8965009713
Seebeck, B. 1998. Best-Tasting Wild Plants of Colorado and the Rockies.Westcliffe Publications. Englewood, Colorado.
Willard, T. 1992. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rocky Mountains and Neighbouring Territories. Wild Rose College of Natural Healing. Calgary, Alberta.
Kathy Keeler
A Wandering Botanist
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