Hylotelephium / Sedum – The Amateurs’ Digest Archive

By Dr. Urs Eggli, Switzerland

Featured image: AI-generated picture of Hylotelephium / Sedum

Many thanks for your recent e-mail searching for information on Hylotelephium.

Dr. Urs Eggli, research associate at the Succulent Collection Zurich — **Dr. Urs Eggli**, research associate at the Succulent Collection Zurich, with the Cactus d’Or, which was presented to him at the Jardin Exotique de Monaco on June 6, 2015.

This generic name was erected some years ago, in 1977 to be precise, by H. Ohba, with Sedum telephium as the type. Hylotelephium embraces the whole relationship around Sedum telephium, i.e. numerous flat-leaved rhizomatous or tuberous-rooted “Sedum” species. Some of the more familiar Sedums which are now classified as Hylotelephium are H. anacampseros, H. cauticola, H. ewersii, H. pluricaule, H. populifolium, H. sieboldii and H. spectabile, and of course H. telephium.

With the exception of H. populifolium, which to me appears misplaced here, the group is quite neatly defined and easily recognizable. The genus will also be accepted for the forthcoming Succulent Plant Lexicon.

For resolving future similar problems, I would recommend my publication, “List of Names of Succulent Plants Other Than Cacti” published by RBG Kew, embracing the period 1950-1992, as taken from Rep. Pl. Succ. This booklet contains all new names published in the period mentioned, and gives full literature references to the places where new species, etc. and combination have been published. As far as I know, the book is still available from RBG Kew, and perhaps also from US-American booksellers.

Note: The booklet referred to is listed in Worldcat, which also gives the names of the authors:
List of names of succulent plants (other than cacti) from Repertorium plantarum succulentarum (1950-1992)
Authors: Urs Eggli, Nigel P. Taylor, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Dr. Urs Eggli, born February 11, 1959 near Zurich, is a Swiss botanist and author. He has been a research associate at the Succulent Collection Zurich, a department of Grün Stadt Zürich, since 1986. Urs Eggli is a specialist in cacti and other succulents.
Nigel Paul Taylor, born 1956, is a British specialist in taxonomy and conservation of Cactaceae. Taylor is a former curator of living collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Source: JSTOR, “Global Plants“.

The photo of Dr. Eggli was added by TADA.