Woodland Stonecrop

Sedum ternatum

Found in moist forests, coves, bottomlands, shaded rock outcrops. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: 3–6 inches
Spread: 6 inches–1 foot
Light: Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Sedum ternatum — whole plant photograph — (c) Evan M. Raskin, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Deciduous or evergreen
Bloom: Spring
Fruiting season: May to July

Recorded in 76 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Regional / representative. Shown: Mountains of North and South Carolina; exact site not identified, a neighboring state.Shortia beneath rhododendrons in mountain woodland, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Regional / representative. Shown: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee; representative habitat composite, not a documented exact viewpoint, a neighboring state.Cove hardwood forest, Hynes, Robert 'Bob', by 2012. Public domain. Source record.

Rock outcrop on a mountain summit. Shown: Sassafras Mountain, on the North Carolina and South Carolina line, a neighboring state.Sassafras Mountain rock outcrop, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record. Faithful JPEG display decode of embedded JP2; no AI or color enhancement. Phone derivative resized proportionally.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 142 animals.

Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Least Bittern
Ixobrychus exilis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Rusty Blackbird
Euphagus carolinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Snowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Willow Flycatcher
Empidonax traillii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Sedum

Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
Callophrys augustinusThe Brown Elfin
Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary, (?)Gulf Fritillary
Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

12BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Sedum

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Sedum

Lagopus leucuraWhite-tailed Ptarmigan

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Crassulaceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–9b
Soil pH: Neutral to alkaline
Flower color: White
Fruit begins: May
Fruit ends: July

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Spring” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Flower color · “White” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Fruit begins · “May” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “3–6 inches” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
Leaves · “Deciduous or evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
primary_flower_color · “white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Good drainage; Moist; Occasionally dry; Very dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Soil pH · “Neutral to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “6 inches–1 foot” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Mountain Stonecrop

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Self-seeds. Spreads by self-sowing and by creeping stems which root at the nodes. Tennessee Smart Yards

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Woodland Stonecrop

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

More Sedum