''Sedum moraniii'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family

Crassulaceae The Crassulaceae (from Latin ''crassus'', thick), also known as the stonecrop family or the orpine family, are a diverse family of dicotyledon flowering plants characterized by succulent leaves and a unique form of photosynthesis, known as Cr ...

known by the common name Rogue River stonecrop. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

in the United States, where it only grows in Josephine County next to the Rogue River.''Sedum moranii''.
The Nature Conservancy. This is a perennial herb with a glandular

rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to a ...

producing rosettes of leaves and flowering shoots. The fleshy leaves are green in color and the young ones are waxy in texture.''Sedum moranii''.
Flora of North America Mature stems and leaves may be reddish or purple. Leaves toward the ends of the stems may be hairy. They are up to 3.2 centimeters long by 1.4 wide. The flowering stem is up to 30 centimeters long. It is hairy and glandular, unbranched, erect and curving when young. It is lined with alternately arranged leaves. It has an

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

of 20 to 30 flowers with five green

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s and five yellow petals. Blooming occurs in May and June, sometimes into July. This plant is most often found growing in rock outcrops and cliffs of serpentine. Most of the 25 occurrences are on the cliffs above the north bank of the Rogue River, in sunny locations. Other plants in the habitat include

Pacific madrone ''Arbutus menziesii'' or Pacific madrone (commonly madrone or madrona in the United States and arbutus in Canada), is a species of broadleaf evergreen tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the western coastal areas of North America, from Bri ...

(''Arbutus menziesii''), Wallace's spikemoss (''Selaginella wallacei''),

poison oak Poison oak refers to two plant species in the genus '' Toxicodendron,'' both of which can cause skin irritation: *''Toxicodendron diversilobum'' or Western poison oak, found in western North America *''Toxicodendron pubescens ''Toxicodendron pu ...

(''Toxicodendron diversilobum''), goldback fern (''Pentagramma triangularis'' ssp. ''triangularis''),

yarrow ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Other common names include old man's pepper, devil's nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier's woundwort, and thousand seal. The ...

(''Achillea millefolium''), mountain coyote mint (''Monardella odoratissima''), canyon live oak (''Quercus chrysolepis''), Oregon white oak (''Quercus garryana''), bearbrush (''Garrya fremontii''),

Douglas-fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three ...

(''Pseudotsuga menziesii''), silverback luina (''Luina hypoleuca''), and other ''Sedum'' species. There are also several types of

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta ('' sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and ...

es. Most occurrences are on Bureau of Land Management land. Threats to the species include

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set ag ...

for use in

rock garden A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small ...

s, recreation and trail maintenance, alteration of the

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

of the area, logging, and

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7445428 moranii Flora of Oregon Josephine County, Oregon Endemic flora of Oregon Endemic flora of the United States