Stonecrop is the common name for many succulents in the crassulaceae family. This is because gardeners joke that they only need a tiny bit more attention than actual stones.

These plants are the definition of hardy (except some varieties can't take the cold). Most, however, are drought tolerant, they can live in poor soil and just when you think they've died, one leaf can bring them back to life.

Stonecrops are flowering succulents that vary from mat-forming ground cover to small shrubs. Many household varieties fall into either the sedum or crassula genus, in which there are more than 450 and 1480 respective species.

Stonecrop flowers usually have 5 petals, rarely 4 or 6. Sedums grow mainly in the northern hemisphere, although some species do exist in Peru. Crassula plants are native to many regions of the world, but a large majority of the cultivated varieties we see today are particular to southern Africa. This includes the popular jade plant, also known as the money tree.

To see how we cast these succulents to make silver and gold jewelry, see this article on, Making Plant Jewelry From Succulents, Branches, and Other Botanical Bits.