This post was last updated on December 1st, 2021 at 11:10 am
This is a fairly common wild edible plant found at high elevations in the rocky mountains. You will find it in mostly sunny-full sun areas. It prefers well drained soils and grows really well in gravelly/rocky areas.
Eating the Yellow Stonecrop
This plant/flower has a fairly acidic flavor making in pretty good only in moderation. It is an edible plant, but you can’t eat too much. If you eat too much you are likely to get a stomach ache. This will go perfectly added to a salad of various other wild edible plants.
Parts of the yellow stonecrop you can eat
- Flowers: These can be eaten as is or added to salad. You can also pickle these flowers with other foods to give a very unique flavor and add nice color to your foods.
- The leaves and stem: These can be used in salads or eaten as is, but be aware too much will surely cause you a stomach ache. This is a wild edible plant, but you will not be able to eat a whole basket of it at once. As always you should avoid taking too many wildflowers and wild edible plants all from the same area. You should also try to only take parts of plants and leave some there to grow and repopulate the area. Be sure to exercise cation while eating and identifying all wild edible plants that you aren’t familiar with.
Are Sedum and Stonecrop the Same Thing?
Stonecrop and sedum are the same genus, but there are many different species of stonecrop. Sedum spectabile is the type of stonecrop most often used for food.
Here are some other differences between Sedum and Stonecrop:
- Stonecrop plants are taller than sedum plants.
- The flowers on a stonecrop are star-shaped, while the flowers on a sedum are more rounded.
- Stonecrop leaves are generally wider and flatter than sedum leaves.
- The stem of a stonecrop is generally red or purple, while the stem
Does Stonecrop like Sun or Shade?
Stonecrop plants generally prefer full sun and dry areas. You can commonly find Stonecrop in meadows, rocky areas, and even on gravelly slopes.
How to Identify Stonecrop Plants
You can identify a stonecrop plant by the thick leaves which grow in rosettes, and the star-shaped flowers. The flowers may be yellow, white, pink or purple. The color of this flower ranges from reddish bronze to yellow. Stonecrop plants can grow up to 18 inches tall, but are usually shorter. The leaves are alternate and succulent, meaning they are fleshy and water-retaining. Look for these leaves in a rosette shape on the top of the stem. The stem is also red or purple. Stonecrop plants can be found in rock crevices, rock piles,
Is Sedum Invasive?
No. Yellow sedum is not invasive. Stonecrop plants are native to the United States, and there are no invasive stonecrop species.