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Crassulaceae
House Leek
Sempervivum tectorum
Protection and immortality.
- Family
- Crassulaceae
- Genus
- Sempervivum
- Native to
- southern Europe, mountains of central Europe
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- succulent perennial
- Height
- 5–15 cm (flower stalk to 30 cm)
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, rocky, poor
- Water
- low; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 3–8
- Lifespan
- monocarpic rosette; offsets persist
Did you know
- Charlemagne decreed in 795 CE that every household should grow houseleeks on rooftops to ward off lightning.
- The name Sempervivum means 'always alive' — rosettes survive extreme drought, frost, and neglect.
- Each rosette flowers only once then dies (monocarpic), but leaves behind numerous offsets called 'chicks'.
- The species name 'tectorum' means 'of roofs' — they were planted on thatch and tile roofs for centuries.
- The gel inside the leaves has been used like aloe vera to soothe burns, insect bites, and skin irritations.
Color meanings
Pink
enduring protection
Red
warding against harm