Burro's tail
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Middling It gives warning, with time to act.
Also called donkey tail, donkey's tail, horse's tail, lamb's tail and Stonecrop.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- High light 150–1000 fcClemson Extension · read 13 September 2026Full sunRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exceptionPenn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand, Chalk; pH Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Listed as non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Listed as non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Leaves soften and curl inward
Leaves on the Burro's tail turn dull and soft before any colour changes, and water poured on the dry surface runs straight down the inside of the pot.
Its source describes well-drained soil. Below that the cells lose pressure, and pressure is what holds a leaf out straight.
Telling it apart: The weight of the pot. Light and sagging is thirst; heavy and sagging is not.
RHSBurro's tail soft or mushy stem: causes- Swollen, darkening leaves that come away at a touch
Soft, discoloured tissue appears where the leaves join the stem of the Burro's tail, and the compost smells stale rather than earthy.
A plant that stores its own water has little use for more. Kept in well-drained soil that stays wet, the stored tissue takes up water it cannot release and the cell walls give way.
Telling it apart: Firm and wrinkled is thirst; soft and swollen is the opposite. The two look similar from across a room and feel nothing alike.
RHSBurro's tail leaves falling off: causes- Whitened areas where the sun falls longest
Upper surfaces lose colour while the undersides stay green, and nothing below the top of the plant is touched.
Sun through a window on a still day heats a leaf far above the air around it. Its source describes full sun; the glass adds the heat that does the damage.
Telling it apart: Whether the undersides are affected. Light damages what it reaches and nothing else.
RHSBurro's tail leaves falling off: causes
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Burro's tail.
Routine care
- Watering
- Use lukewarm water, and water less in winter. Let the soil dry between waterings, and feed lightly once or twice in the growing season.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In the growing season, water generously and feed monthly with a liquid fertiliser at half strength; give little water in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Let the soil dry between waterings, and give a light feed one or two times in the growing season.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In the growing season water generously and give a liquid fertiliser at half strength each month; in winter water sparingly.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Cuttings and fallen leaves root readily, so propagation is easy.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In early spring sow seed at 15-18°C, or divide.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Diseases: southern blight.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Mealybugs, scale insects and vine weevil grubs can attack it. Disease risks: crown and root rots, both fungal and bacterial.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Sedum morganianum, the donkey tail or burro's tail, is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae, native to southern Mexico. It is a succulent perennial producing trailing stems up to 60 cm (24 in) long, with fleshy blue-green leaves and terminal pink to red flowers in summer. S. morganianum has been found wild in two ravines at Tenampa county, in central Veracruz, in eastern Mexico and on vertical cliffs of igneous rock in the Tropical Deciduous Forest zone. Due to its restricted geographic distribution, it should be regarded as a micro-endemic species.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Mexico (Veracruz, Puebla, Chiapas)World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Mexico (Veracruz, Puebla, Chiapas)NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026MexicoRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- seasonally dry tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- succulent subshrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Herbaceous Perennial, Perennial, Succulent; habit creeping, prostrate, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Trailing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 12–48 in; width 12–36 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers gold/yellow, orange, pink, purple/lavender, red/burgundy, white; blooms in summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers pink in spring and summer; red in spring and summer; purple in spring and summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
The stems and leaves are edible, though eating a lot of them can upset the stomach.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Burro's tail
Other Sedum
More of the Crassulaceae family
Flaming KatyA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Jade plantPale dry areas across the upper leaves only
Mexican snowballPale dry areas across the upper leaves only
Aeonium haworthiiSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Aeonium undulatumSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Blue EcheveriaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Plants with similar care
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Clemson Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.