Reflexed stonecrop Sedum rupestre - a drought-adapted wall plant

 

Reflexed stonecrop Sedum rupestre, thriving amongst withered mosses on a drystone wall in Weardale.

A triple-whammy of heatwaves has frazzled plant life in parched earth everywhere, but few plant habitats suffer such a severe test of drought tolerance as a sun-drenched stone wall. Stonecrops take it in their stride, thanks to succulent leaves that can store water.

The commonest and most widespread native Sedum species is biting stonecrop Sedum acre, whose starry yellow flowers adorn walls and sand dunes. Its leaves are said to be edible, with a peppery ‘biting’ taste, which may be why reflexed stonecrop was introduced from mainland Europe in the 17th. century as a salad crop, eaten when its new leaves are fresh and succulent in spring. Reflexed sonecrop escaped from gardens soon after it arrived and was first recorded in the wild in 1660.

The plant in the photograph is growing on the garden wall of a Weardale farm that dates from the late 17th. century, so maybe the original occupants also grew it for food.