Synonyms:

The name “Sedum cauticola” is still unresolved. The doubt is if it should be called as its actual synonym, Hylotelephium cauticola, or just “Sedum cauticola”.

Habitat:

Sedum cauticola “Lidakense” is a nursery variety and thus doesn’t exist in nature. Sedum cauticola, instead, is native to Japan, when it grows on cliffs and rock crevices of alkaline-based substrates.

Description:

Sedum cauticola “Lidakense” is a succulent little bush, appreciated for its glowing, abundant blossoming. It is the perfect plant to be grown in a rocky garden, in rock crevices or in hanging pots on the walls. That’s because it tends to cover with abundant foliage all the available spaces, and it’s also very resistant. It doesn’t exceed though 25 centimeters in height and it thus stays very compact. It consists in a bush of succulent, crowded, short stems, something between a reddish and a brownish colour, equipped with succulent, circular to gut-shaped, flattened green leaves with purplish, slightly irregular edges.
Its blooming season occurs in September-October. In this period, the plant is covered in pink, 5-petaled little flowers, and it becomes even more decorative with its pinkish overall appearance.

Cultivation:

Sedum cauticola “Lidakense”, like all Sedums, is very tough and needs very little care. Here below are a few tips:

Place it in direct sun to enhance the purplish tinge if its foliage. We advise though to provide some light shade at least during the hottest hours of Summer days.
The minimum tolerated temperature of this species is around 3-4ºC. If grown in pot, it should be kept indoors in Winter. It though should be able to resist outdoors, being a tough specise.
Water it about twice a week in Spring and Summer, waiting for the soil to dry up completely before each irrigation, and stop watering in Winter.
Sedums have no specifical needs regarding soil. The most important thing is to choose a well-draining substrate. To grow them in pots, a standard soil for cacti or a mix of sand and peat is the best option.
Fertilization is not necessary if the plant is repotted regularly. In any case, it’s advisable to do it once a year in early spring with a product specific for succulents, rich in Phosphorus and Potassium and poor in Nitrogen, diluting it at half the doses recommended on the label.
Repot in Spring every two years, when the S. cauticola “Lidakense” outgrows its pot. Choose large, shallow pots. 

Propagation:

Sedums can usually be propagated easily by leaf or branch cuttings. In the case of Sedum cauticola “Lidakense”, however, the best method is to divide the bush. That is to say, you detach a portion of bush that includes its soil and roots, and replant it in another pot.

Curiosity:

The name “Sedum” means ‘plant, annual herb’ in Latin. Such a generic name is justified by the wide distribution of this genus. Recently, this plants have become pupular in roof coverings, the so-called “green roofs”.
The species name “cauticola” means “growing on cliffs”, referring to the plant’s attitude to grow in rock crevices of walls or cliffs.

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