Perennial of the Crassulaceae family, widespread in southern Europe, from southeastern France to the Balkans, through Italy and the Iberian Peninsula. It grows on rocks, screes, old walls, and dry, sunny slopes, mainly in Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean regions, but also ascends in altitude in rocky mountainous areas.
The plant forms low, dense clumps, 10 to 20 cm in height at flowering. The leaves are linear-cylindrical, fleshy, glaucous green to bluish green, tightly arranged along the non-flowering stems. The flowering stems, erect and well-defined, take on a reddish-brown to deep carmine red color in full sun, which is one of the most striking visual features of the species. The contrast between these colored stems and the bright yellow flower corymbs is particularly striking at the time of flowering.
The flowers are star-shaped, with six petals, a clear yellow slightly paler than that of Sedum acre, gathered in loose, branched corymbs that crown each stem. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from June to August depending on altitude and exposure. In cultivation, it generally occurs in July.
It requires perfect drainage and full sun, tolerates poor and dry soils, calcareous or siliceous. Perfectly hardy in temperate climates, it finds its place in rock gardens, walls, and reconstructed screes, where the coloration of the stems adds a chromatic relief that few other sedums can match.