Sedum zentaro-tashiroi

Named for the Japanese botanist Zentaro Tashiro, who collected extensively in the Ryukyu Islands in the late 19th century, Sedum zentaro-tashiroi is an uncommon species that brings the flora of Japan's southwestern island chain into the PNW rock garden. It forms a spreading mat of small, rounded, fleshy leaves with that characteristic sedum tidiness, and pale flowers in season add a delicate note appropriate to the overall plant. It has the kind of botanical provenance that collector gardeners find compelling — a genuine connection to a specific place and person in botanical history.