Sedum citrinum

Blue creek stonecrop, Blue Creek Stonecrop

Family: Crassulaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Blue creek stonecrop is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the southern Del Norte County in the Klamath Ranges on serpentine outcrops, rocky meadows, and talus slopes at elevations of 900 to 1,300 meters. Flowering in June, this plant produces deep yellow flowers with yellow or orange midveins in flat-topped clusters of 10 to 95 blossoms. Growing 5 to 28 centimeters tall with stout rhizomes and loose rosettes, it forms compact clusters in sunny sites. Its leaves are notably variable in color, ranging from green to gray-green, orange, red, or purple, with rosette leaves 10 to 31 millimeters long that are broadly or narrowly obovate and often have blunt or notched tips. The mature plant displays distinctive yellow petals with reddish bases that spread from a fused base, creating a vibrant display against its rocky serpentine habitat.

Habitat: Gently sloping dry rocky meadows, flats, talus, scree, sunny outcrops, roadcuts, on serpentine

Bloom period: Jun

Elevation: 900-1300 m

Bioregions: KR (s Del Norte Co.).

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.