Lemon Coral stonecrop is a low-growing succulent with lime-green leaves and small star-shaped summer-blooming flowers. It tolerates heat and drought in full sun to light shade and does best in dry to medium well-drained sandy to rocky soils as a ground cover, in rock gardens, mass plantings in the border or cascading over planters, rocks or walls. It seldom needs watering, but will grow in moist soils with good drainage. Plants grown in overly rich soils or in too much shade will produce weak, floppy growth. Plants slowly spread over time. Like many of its genus, Lemon Coral tolerates only occassional foot traffic. The leaves tend to fall off easily; however, the fallen leaves can be used to propagate new plants. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No serious diseases or insect problems, except for occasional slugs and snails. Avoid wet or poorly drained conditions. Susceptible to flopping, which can be avoided by siting in full sun in soils that are not too moist or rich. Pinching in spring can also force stems to grow thicker and bushier. VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti," a plant identification course created in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 3 in. - 0 ft. 9 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Creeping; Mounding; Spreading
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Fleshy
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
3/4 inch long fleshy, linear chartreuse green leaves.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small, terminal cymes of yellow star-shaped flowers (each a 1/2 inch across) in late spring through summer.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Stem detail
Low, thick stems.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Mexico (Puebla, Chiapas) to Guatemala
Distribution
Southern United States, Europe, Brazil, Japan and Korea
Wildlife value
Deer resistant
Attracts
Pollinators
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Attracts Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves; Flowers; Stems
Fruit type
Capsule
Edibility
As the stems and leaves age, but before the plants flower, the edible parts may still be eaten if they are briefly cooked. If eaten in quantity, it can cause stomach upsets.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Hanging Baskets; Houseplants; Rock Wall; Slope/Bank