35. Sedum laxum (Britton) A. Berger in H. G. A. Engler et al., Nat. Pflanzenfam. ed. 2. 18a: 451. 1930.
Gormania laxa Britton in N. L. Britton and J. N. Rose, New N. Amer. Crassul., 29. 1903
Herbs, perennial, cespitose or not, glabrous. Stems root-stocks, ascending, much-branched, bearing rosettes. Leaves alternate, erect to spreading, sessile; blade green, glaucous or not, not pruinose, oblanceolate, spatulate, or obovate, subterete or somewhat flattened, 10-50 × (4.5-)6-33 mm, base not spurred, not scarious, apex truncate to rounded or obtuse, emarginate or barely notched. Flowering shoots erect or decumbent, simple or branched, 4-30(-40) cm; leaf blades oblanceolate, spatulate, obovate, or suborbiculate, base not spurred; offsets not formed. Inflorescences elongate, paniculate cymes, 12-80-flowered, monochasially 3+-branched; branches not recurved, 2-forked; bracts similar to leaves, smaller. Pedicels 0.6-6.3 mm. Flowers 5-merous; sepals erect, (closely appressed to corolla tube), slightly connate basally, pale green, ovate or lanceolate, equal, (2-)2.6-5.1 × 2 mm, apex acute or subacute, (rarely obtuse in var. flavidum); petals basally erect, divergent in distal 1/2, connate basally, pink, pinkish white, or white to yellowish white, lanceolate-oblong, oblanceolate-oblong, or elliptic-oblong, not carinate, 4-11 mm, apex obtuse, shortly mucronate or aristate; filaments white, greenish white, or pink; anthers red, reddish purple, red-brown, or yellow; nectar scales white, yellow, or pink, reniform or transversely oblong. Carpels erect in fruit, distinct, brown.
Varieties 5 (5 in the flora): w United States.
Sedum laxum is unusual in forming offsets in axils of rosette leaves rather than on a rootstock or creeping stem.
