Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Saxifragales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Diamorpha smallii
FAMILY
Crassulaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read about Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve, rare plants on a large, granite outcrop by Jim Fowler.
Learn more about Elf-orpine from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
See Wilbur 1988 for a thorough discussion of the muddled nomenclatural history of this remarkable species, as well as for a detailed summary of systematic and ecological information, per Weakley's Flora (2022)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Diamorpha smallii
FAMILY
Crassulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Diamorpha smallii
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Diamorpha smallii
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 091-01-002:
Sedum smallii FAMILY Crassulaceae
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Diamorpha cymosa
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Diamorpha smallii
COMMON NAME:
Elf-orpine
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm170325_230
March Pickens County SC
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdsmallii_glsy1
March Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
A most distinctive plant, with...
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdsmallii_glsy4
March Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
morphological features totally unlike those of Sedum or of any other genus in the Crassulaceae, per What do we know about Diamorpha smallii (Crassulaceae)? (Wilbur, 1988).
)
JK Marlow jkm080428_033
April Pickens County SC
Plants reddish, succulent. Leaves fleshy, blades obtuse & nearly circular, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
COMPARE
Elf-orpine and Puck's Orpine
)
JK Marlow jkm080428_042
April Pickens County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm080428_042c
April Pickens County SC
Flowers in few-bracteate compound cymes, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm110416_742
April Etowah County AL
)
JK Marlow jkm110416_746
April Etowah County AL
)
JK Marlow jkm140426_669
April Pickens County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm220409_6630
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdsmallii_pc4
April Pickens County SC
Poe Creek State Forest
Flowers have 4 white petals and 8 stamens, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdsmallii_pc8
April Pickens County SC
Poe Creek State Forest
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmdsmallii_pc9
April Pickens County SC
Poe Creek State Forest
Spectacular dense colonies in and around depressions on granitic outcrops, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_diamorpha_smallii_2
April
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_diamorpha_smallii_5
April
)
Tim Spira tps_dsmallii1
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Diamorpha smallii
FAMILY
Crassulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Diamorpha smallii
FAMILY
Crassulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Diamorpha smallii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Diamorpha smallii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 091-01-002:
Sedum smallii
FAMILY
Crassulaceae
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Diamorpha cymosa
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Diamorpha smallii
1352
Forb
Winter annual
Habitat: In very thin soil (generally less than 2 cm deep) of vernally wet depressions on granite and sandstone flatrocks and other acidic outcrops, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon in Piedmont, rare in Mountains
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Leaves at first crowded in a winter rosette, then alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
White
Bisexual
4 sepals
4 petals
8 stamens
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Follicle
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p171
- Guide to the Plants of Granite Outcrops (Murdy & Carter, 2000) p30
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p353
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p100
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p023
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p162
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p107
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p136
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p361
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p064