Abstract:
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Because of their easy implementation and low maintenance, extensive green roofs have become established
during the last few decades as one of the best options for integrating vegetation on the built environment. The
success of these systems involves having of a plant species palette well adapted to extreme conditions, especially
in drought environments. Among the available ones, the Sedum genus has stood out due to its tolerance to
climate extreme conditions and its use has been widespread throughout the world. In previous research, efforts
have been mainly concentrated on selecting the most drought tolerant Sedum species, without considering other
important parameters for the suitable provision of ecosystem services from the green roof, such as coverage
capacity, shape and structure or growth strategy, among others. In this study, five species of Sedum (Sedum
album, S. sediforme, S. sexangulare, Sedum spurium cf. öCoccineum’ (syn. Phedimus spurius cf. öCoccineum’) and
Sedum spurium cf. öSummer Glory’ (syn. Phedimus spurius cf. öSummer Glory’) were tested in a dry continental
Mediterranean climate with the aim of observing their patterns of growth and development. Results revealed
that Sedum album, S. sediforme, S. sexangulare are recommended species for their use on extensive green roofs in
this climate, whereas both varieties of S. spurium, particularly var. “Coccineum”, present some limitations for
their use, basically due to their shape, plant structure, pigmentation and lack of adaptation to winter conditions.
Shape Index could be an adequate tool for decision-making in the selection of plant species in the design of green
roofs because it provides information not only about the shape and size but also related to the growth strategy of
these plants. |