Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Burro's tail (Sedum morganianum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called donkey tail, horse tail, lamb tail.

About Burro's tail

Sedum morganianum · also called donkey tail, horse tail · houseplant

Burro's tail is a Mexican trailing succulent with plump blue-green leaves arranged in dense braided strands. Leaves drop at the slightest touch, so it is best kept where it will not be brushed. Pet-safe and drought-tolerant.

Sedum morganianum (Crassulaceae), native to southern Mexico, recorded wild on vertical igneous cliffs in ravines of central Veracruz within tropical deciduous forest, an origin that explains its pendulous, hanging habit.

Stems start upright then become pendulous to several feet; the bean-shaped leaves carry a powdery epicuticular wax bloom that cuts moisture loss and are extremely fragile, dropping at the lightest touch, so site it away from traffic and handle minimally.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes) · RHS H1c (18-27°C)

Sources: hort.extension.wisc.edu, plants.ces.ncsu.edu, en.wikipedia.org

What burro's tail's hardiness rating actually means

Burro's tail is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Burro's tail has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for burro's tail as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can burro's tail go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when burro's tail can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Burro's tail hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is burro's tail cold hardy?

Burro's tail is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Burro's tail can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature burro's tail can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Burro's tail has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is burro's tail?

Burro's tail is rated USDA 9-11 (indoor in most US homes) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can burro's tail survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to burro's tail below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.