Orpine

Hylotelephium erythrostictum

Fleshy leaves and mucilage · a garden perennial that grows in tiers

Orpine is a stonecrop-family perennial planted in flower beds and on rooftops. Its leaves are thick and succulent like purslane, and they sit along the stem in distinct tiers. From late summer into autumn small flowers gather into flat umbels, and the sedums now common in Korean beds belong to the same group. The young shoots that come up in spring are blanched and dressed as a namul. The Donguibogam lists the plant in the Herb section as Gyeongcheon and records the old Korean name as Jibudigi. On appearance it says the shoots and leaves resemble Machihyeon, that is purslane, but larger, growing in tiers, with an extremely soft and brittle stem, and that small red-violet flowers open in summer before the plant dies back once autumn passes. The line about people of the day potting it and setting it on the roof to ward off fire, and calling it Sinhwacho, the fire-warding herb, for that reason, survives in the text as well. It asks for little water and only sun, which puts it among the least demanding things you can keep in a rooftop or balcony pot.

Year-Round Calendar

Sowing

Harvest

Where It Grows

Wild population Latitudes at 15–25℃ Zoom and pan to explore · temperatures are rough zonal averages

Wild population Grows wild on the lower mountain slopes and in the fields from the northeast to central China.
Wild population Grows wild in mountains and fields throughout the country, and is commonly planted in flower beds as well.
Wild population Grows wild in sunny grassland and beside rocks on Honshu and Kyushu.
Wild population Grows wild in the grasslands of the southern Far East, including Primorsky Krai.

Its range is the fields and lower mountain slopes of temperate East Asia, and no single country can be named as its place of origin. It is not grown to eat or to sell, so there are no production figures at all, and the list above records the countries where it has been confirmed growing wild. Sedums of the same group have spread widely through Europe and North America as garden-bed plants, but there they are treated as ornamentals only.

Optimum: 15~25℃
Range: 5~30℃
Hardiness: Hardy

It stores water in its fleshy leaves, so it stands up to both drought and cold. It likes a sunny spot with free-draining soil; in rich, damp ground the stems go soft and grow leggy until the plant falls over. In winter the stems above ground dry off and it overwinters (passes the winter) as roots.

In Korea Nationwide

Grows wild in sunny spots on lower mountain slopes and in fields across the country. As long as the drainage is good it is not fussy about soil, so it does well on rooftops and in flower beds too.

How to grow

Light: A bright position. In shade the stems stretch and flop
Soil and depth: Any free-draining soil will do. Grit mixed in helps, and rich soil actually leaves the stems soft
Spacing: 30cm between plants. The clump thickens year on year, so leave room from the start
Watering: Water once the soil has dried. The succulent leaves store water, so it rides out a few missed days. Frequent water rots the base
Feeding: Almost none needed. A handful of compost around the crown in early spring is enough
Harvest: Cut the young shoots in April or May at around 10cm, leaving the base. Do not take a whole clump; leave a few stems standing so the plant still flowers

What makes the difference. Blanch briefly in boiling salted water and rinse in cold. Blanched too long the succulent leaves collapse. Throw the blanching water away

Why this one is harder. The clump thickens each year and the stems grow heavy enough to fall sideways after midsummer. Cutting the stems back by half in early summer keeps the plant low and firm so it holds itself up when the flowers set

Common problems

Aphids You will see Colonies on new shoots and flower buds What to do Wash them off with a jet of water. Never spray a plant you intend to eat
Rot from overwatering You will see The base goes soft and black and the stems fall over What to do Stop watering and keep only the sound stems. Repot into free-draining soil

This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.

Health Benefits

The old record — gyeongcheon (景天). The Donguibogam lists it in the Herb section as Gyeongcheon and records the old Korean name as Jibudigi. It sets down a neutral nature (cold by another account) and a bitter, sour taste with no toxicity, while also carrying a note that it is slightly toxic. On appearance it says the shoots and leaves resemble Machihyeon (purslane) but larger, growing in tiers, with an extremely soft and brittle stem, and that small red-violet flowers open in summer before the plant dies back once autumn passes. For gathering it gives the fourth day of the fourth month and the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, dried in the shade. It records the origin of a name as well: people of the day potted it and set it on the roof to ward off fire, and so called it Sinhwacho, the fire-warding herb. This is a historical medical record and differs from modern judgment.

A seven-carbon sugar from this group. Sedoheptulose, a seven-carbon sugar, was first isolated from this group of plants, large orpine among them, and that stands as a record in the history of biochemistry. The name of the compound comes from the group's old botanical name. This is a record about composition and has nothing to do with preventing or treating disease.

Nutrition

Mucilage (held in the fleshy leaves) — a polysaccharide that seeps from a cut leaf
Flavonoids (distributed in leaves and flowers) — polyphenol compounds
Water (most of the fleshy leaf) — the stored water that makes the leaf thick

The succulent leaf Orpine leaves are thick because they store water. Cut one and a slippery mucilage seeps out, a property common across stonecrop-family succulents. Blanching cuts that slipperiness back and leaves a crisp bite.

Blanched as a namul Give the young shoots a brief turn in boiling salted water, rinse in cold, and dress them. Blanched too long the succulent leaf collapses into mush. Use only the shoots that come up in spring; leaves taken after the plant has bolted are too coarse for a namul.

The group a seven-carbon sugar came from Sedoheptulose, a seven-carbon sugar, was first isolated from this group of plants, large orpine among them. The name of the compound itself comes from the group's old botanical name. This entry stays with the compositional record.

Pairings

○ Doenjang and perilla oil — The blanched shoots are mild, so doenjang and perilla oil bring out what texture they have. Season it hard and the vegetable itself disappears.

○ Chogochujang — Acidity clings well to leaves that keep some slipperiness. Blanch, shake dry rather than wringing, and dress with vinegared chilli paste.

○ Mixed with other spring greens — On its own it is bland, so dressing it with two or three other spring greens works better. Its blanching time is short, so blanch it separately and combine at the end.

△ Eating garden succulents at large — Beds and balconies hold succulents that are not for eating. Kalanchoe species are not edible plants, and spurge-family succulents bleed a white sap when cut that damages skin and eyes. A thick leaf is not by itself a reason to treat something as a namul. If you cannot identify the species with certainty, do not eat it.

△ Pots that have been sprayed — Beds and rooftop pots do get sprayed. Keep the plants you intend to eat separate from the start and never spray them. Do not pick from roadside beds or park plantings.

△ Leaves after bolting — Once the flower stalk rises the leaves coarsen and turn astringent. What goes into a namul is the young spring shoot and nothing later. Leaves picked late stay tough however long they are blanched.

Varieties

Orpine (plant) — Leaves opposite or whorled, with whitish flowers. This is the group the Donguibogam entry 景天 belongs to
Large orpine (plant) — A bigger plant with dense red-violet flower heads. The one most widely planted in beds
Garden sedums (plant) — Many horticultural cultivars used in beds and on green roofs, in a range of leaf and flower colours
Kamchatka stonecrop (plant) — A different genus in the same family, with yellow flowers. Its young shoots are eaten as a namul in the same way

Source: Donguibogam, Herb Section 景天 · Korean Plant Names Index