About Sedum microcarpum (Sibth. & Sm.) Schönland
Sedum microcarpum (Sibth. & Sm.) Schönland is a small annual herb that reaches 5–10 cm in height. It produces succulent, pale green to red-tinged cylindrical stems and leaves. Its leaves are tiny sausage-shaped (cylindrical or terete), arranged in an alternating pattern that can appear grid-like or paired along stems. Unlike other annual species in the Sedum genus, this plant does not grow rosette-shaped leaves at its base. The tiny flowers measure 2 mm across, each with four 1–2 mm white petals, and grow in the axil between the stem and leaves. Sepals are 0.5 mm long with obtuse tips. Fruits are non-dehiscent, nutlike, one-seeded, and formed from three tiny follicles. It blooms between January and April, after the first winter rains. This species grows on hard outcrops, often in shallow soil patches on sunny rocky surfaces that dry out quickly in spring. It is classified as a therophyte, and is frequently found in former vernal pool locations, rock hollows, and crevices that flood with winter rain and dry out quickly in early spring. It is distributed throughout Mediterranean woodlands and shrublands, and also occurs in semi-steppe shrublands.
