Donkey's Tail
Sedum morganianum
NEMBA: Scrutiny advised
English: Donkey's Tail, Burro's Tail, Lamb's Tail, Horse's Tail
Afrikaans: Donkie-stert
Misapplied scientific names: Sedum burrito
Sedum morganianum, commonly known as Donkey's Tail or Donkie-stert, is a popular alien succulent perennial. It is highly valued for its distinctive long, trailing stems heavily adorned with plump, overlapping, bluish-green to grey-green leaves, resembling a donkey's tail. While grown as an ornamental, particularly in hanging baskets, its fragments can escape and establish in natural areas, contributing to its invasive potential in South Africa.
Have you got a better picture?
If you don't mind us using it, please upload it by clicking the Upload button below (you must be logged in to do this)
Origin:
Native to southern Mexico and Honduras.
Distinguishing features:
Long, pendulous, trailing stems covered densely with leaves.
Leaves are plump, fleshy, oval to tear-drop shaped, bluish-green or grey-green, and tightly overlapping.
Leaves are arranged spirally around the stem, giving a braided or scaled appearance.
Pink to red, star-shaped flowers, though rarely seen in cultivation.
Stems are very brittle and easily break, allowing for rapid spread.
Overall appearance:
The Donkey's Tail (Sedum morganianum) is a truly eye-catching succulent with a unique appearance. It's famous for its long, rope-like stems that hang down, completely covered in rows of plump, overlapping, bluish-green leaves, which perfectly resemble a donkey's tail. While it can produce small pink flowers, it's the distinctive, cascading 'tails' that make this plant a favourite for hanging baskets and elevated displays.
Height:
The plant itself is low-growing, but its stems can trail up to 60 to 90 centimetres long, sometimes even longer in ideal conditions.
Width:
Typically grows as a contained plant, but its trailing stems can spread outward for 30-50 cm.
Leaves:
The leaves are fleshy, succulent, oval to tear-drop or barrel-shaped, measuring about 1-2.5 cm long and 0.5-1 cm thick. They are arranged very densely and spirally along the stems, giving a beaded or braided appearance. The colour is typically bluish-green or grey-green, often with a powdery 'bloom' (epicutilar wax) that gives them a slightly frosted look.
Flowers:
The flowers are small, star-shaped, with five pointed petals, usually bright pink to red or purplish-red. They are borne in small terminal clusters at the end of the pendulous stems, but this is a rare occurrence in cultivated plants. Sedum morganianum flowers are hermaphroditic.
Flowering season:
If it flowers, it typically does so in spring to early summer (around September to December).
Fruits:
The fruit is a small, dry follicle. However, fruit and seed production are extremely rare in cultivation, and the plant spreads almost exclusively through vegetative means.
Seeds:
Seeds are rarely produced or viable in cultivation.
Stems:
The stems are robust but very brittle, especially at the leaf nodes, which allows leaves and sections of stem to easily break off. They are initially green but can become slightly reddish or brownish with age and sun exposure. The stems are densely covered in leaves.
Thorns:
None.
Roots:
Produces a shallow, fibrous root system, with adventitious roots developing from fallen leaves and stem fragments, allowing for easy establishment in new locations.
Soil type:
Requires extremely well-drained, gritty, or sandy soil. It is highly intolerant of prolonged moisture or heavy, waterlogged soils, which will quickly lead to root rot. A succulent or cactus potting mix is essential.
Aspect:
Thrives in full sun to partial shade. Full sun encourages more compact growth and intense leaf colouration, but it also performs well in bright, indirect light. It is highly drought-tolerant and well-adapted to arid conditions, requiring minimal watering. It is sensitive to frost; temperatures below 0°C will damage the foliage, and prolonged freezing can kill the plant, so it needs protection from severe frost.
Ediblity:
Not considered edible for humans.
Toxicity:
Sedum morganianum is generally considered to have low toxicity. While some Sedum species contain compounds that can cause mild gastrointestinal upset if ingested in large quantities, it is not listed as severely poisonous. However, it's always prudent to exercise caution and prevent ingestion, especially by children and pets.
Uses:
Extremely popular as an ornamental plant in hanging baskets, containers, and rockeries, where its unique trailing habit and fleshy leaves can be showcased.
Used indoors as a houseplant.
Due to its invasive potential through readily breaking fragments, its use in outdoor gardens, especially near natural areas, should be managed responsibly or replaced with indigenous alternatives.
Ecology:
As an alien plant, Sedum morganianum can escape cultivation, especially from dumped garden waste or accidental fragmentation, and establish in natural environments, particularly rocky crevices and dry, sunny slopes. Although its full ecological impact as an invasive species in South Africa is still being assessed, its ability to root from even small fragments allows it to outcompete indigenous succulent groundcovers and lithophytes (plants growing on rocks). It can form dense mats, altering microhabitats and potentially reducing the diversity of native flora in arid and semi-arid regions.
Distribution and habitat:
As an alien plant in South Africa, Sedum morganianum is widely cultivated and has the potential to escape and establish in natural areas. While specific widespread naturalised populations are less documented than for other invasive succulents (like Aloe maculata or Crassula ovata for example, which are indigenous to South Africa and not suitable alternatives for alien invasive species), its presence in gardens across all provinces, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, indicates potential for localised invasions. It would typically establish in rocky outcrops, dry slopes, and disturbed areas.
Derivation of name:
The genus name Sedum comes from the Latin word 'sedeo', meaning 'to sit', referring to the way many species grow low to the ground.
The species epithet morganianum honours Edward Morgan, a plant collector from the 19th century who collected specimens in Mexico.
The common name "Donkey's Tail" and "Burro's Tail" (Burro is Spanish for donkey) directly refer to the visual resemblance of its long, pendulous, leafy stems to a donkey's tail.
Historical aspects:
Sedum morganianum was discovered in the early 20th century and quickly became a highly prized ornamental succulent due to its unique appearance. It has been widely cultivated globally, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Its popularity as a hanging basket plant has ensured its presence in countless gardens, but this widespread distribution also increases its risk of escape and establishment in new environments, highlighting the fine line between a desirable ornamental and a potential invasive species.
Interesting facts:
This plant is so perfectly named because its long, trailing stems, covered in plump leaves, really do look exactly like a donkey's tail!
Its leaves are so chunky and full of water that they're almost like tiny little water balloons, helping it survive in dry places.
Be careful when you handle it, because those 'tail' segments are super delicate and can break off easily – which is also how it easily makes new plants!
Even though it's beautiful, it's originally from faraway lands, so we need to be careful it doesn't try to take over our local plants here in South Africa.
NEMBA status:
NEMBA categorisation for Sedum morganianum is not explicitly listed as a high-risk invasive in the same way as some other widespread invasives, but Sedum species, in general, should be approached with caution due to their ability to spread vegetatively. Always check the latest NEMBA regulations for specific areas. (As of current knowledge, it is generally considered a transformer or potential invader if allowed to escape, but not always classified under a specific NEMBA category like 1b or 2 in all regions).
Friendly alternatives:
Meelplakkie
Kalanchoe luciae
String of Bananas
Curio radicans
String of Hearts
Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii
Creeping Crassula
Crassula spathulata
Plant type:
Evergreen, succulent or perennial
Plant family:
Crassulaceae (little thick (the leaves)) - Order: Saxifragales