Species · genus Sempervivum · Crassulaceae

Limestone Houseleek

Sempervivum calcareum Jord.

Growth habit
succulent perennial
Native range
France, Italy
Reference · S. calcareum

Cultivars of S. calcareum

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under S. calcareum yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A hardy alpine succulent from the rocky slopes of France and Italy, forming tight rosettes that store water in their fleshy leaves. It wants gritty, fast-draining mix, bright light with some direct sun, and infrequent deep watering — let the soil dry out completely, then water only when the mix is dry several inches down. It tolerates dry air and cool conditions, and rots quickly if kept wet.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified
Light
ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water
ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-21d)
Humidity
ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil
ai:claude-fable-5
Care
ai:claude-fable-5
Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 21 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

5–24 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, sharp-draining cactus and succulent mix

Propagation

Detach and replant the offset rosettes

Fertilizing

Weak dilute feed once or twice in spring and summer only

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Mature rosettes flower once then die, leaving offsets behind

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-21d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Limestone Houseleek yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.

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