Editing Hen and chicks

{{Short description|Hens of chicks}}
{{About||the viticultural condition also known as "hens and chicks"|Millerandage|other plants commonly called "Hen and chickens"|Hen and chicken plant}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2021}}

[[File:Hens and Chicks growing amid other succulents.jpg|thumb|right|240px| ''Jovibarba globifera'' (syn. ''Sempervivum globiferum'') showing larger mother plants ("hens") and smaller, globe-shaped [[offset (botany)|offsets]] ("chicks", "globi")]]
[[File:CommonHouseleek.jpg|thumb|right|240px| ''Sempervivum tectorum'' (common houseleek)]]
[[File:Hen & Chicksbloom.JPG|thumb|240px|Close-up of blooms]]
'''Hen and chicks''' (also known as '''hen-and-chickens''', or '''hen-widdies''' in the southern United States) is a common name for a group of small [[succulent plants]]. They belong to the [[flowering plant]] family [[Crassulaceae]], native to southern [[Europe]] and northern [[Africa]]. The plants grow close to the ground with leaves formed around each other in a [[Rosette (botany)|rosette]], and propagating by [[offset (botany)|offsets]]. The "hen" is the main, or mother, plant, and the "chicks" are a flock of offspring,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yakimaherald.com/magazine/home_and_garden/master-gardener-sedums-succulents/article_71fa3d98-4197-11e8-8134-1f6fef7ee414.html|title = Master Gardener: Sedums & Succulents| date=20 April 2018 }}</ref> which start as tiny buds on the main plant and soon sprout their own roots, taking up residence close to the mother plant.

Plants commonly referred to as "Hens and chicks" include ground-hugging species of ''[[Sempervivum]]'' (houseleeks) such as ''Sempervivum'' 'Pekinese', ''[[Sempervivum arachnoideum|S. arachnoideum]]'' (cobweb houseleek), and ''[[Sempervivum tectorum|S. tectorum]]'' (common houseleek), as well as members of the related genus ''[[Jovibarba]]''. The name is also used for some species of ''[[Echeveria]]'', ''[[Sedum]]'' and ''[[Bergenia]]'' although these plants differ significantly from ''Sempervivum'' and ''Jovibarba'', and may require different cultivation and care.

==Care==
Hen and chicks is popular in gardens for its varied and interesting appearance and [[Hardiness (plants)|hardiness]]. It is grown as container planting or in rock gardens. It does best in well-drained, rocky soil; if they are kept wet, the outer leaves will rot.  Planting them in cactus or succulent soil will prevent your plant from sitting in water and meeting an untimely end. Commercial succulent soil is a good choice. Using a pot that allows for drainage at the bottom will also aid in circulating the moisture, and keep the water from sitting at the bottom (this will prevent [[root rot]]). Although it does best in sun, it will grow in light shade.

==Medicinal uses==
The leaves of hens and chicks have been used as herbal remedies for many years. Freshly pressed leaves may act as a substitute to [[aloe vera]] for wounds such as low severity burns, sores, and insect bites. Extracts from leaves have been shown to have some [[antimicrobial]] and [[antioxidant]] properties.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stojicevic|first1=Sasa|last2=Stanisavljevic|first2=Ivana|last3=Velickovic|first3=Dragan|last4=Veljkovic|first4=Vlada|last5=Lazic|first5=Miodrag|date=2008|title=Comparative screening of the anti-oxidant and antimicrobial activities of Sempervivum marmoreum L. extracts obtained by various extraction techniques|journal=Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society|volume=73|issue=6|pages=597–607|doi=10.2298/jsc0806597s|issn=0352-5139|doi-access=free}}</ref> Higher levels of antioxidant compounds are produced after long term stressors such as soil drought. <ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kovac-Besovic|date=2009|title=Investigation of Flavonoids Presence in Houseleek, Sempervivum tectorum L.|journal=Scientia Pharmaceutica|volume=77|issue=1|pages=256|doi=10.3797/scipharm.oephg.21.po-57|issn=0036-8709|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Two Hens and Chicks 3264px.jpg|Two hen and chicks
File:Hens and Chicks Closeup 3075px.jpg|A hen and chicks close up
File:Hens and Chicks growing amid other succulents.jpg|Multiple Hens and chicks alongside sedum
File:Hens and Chicks Mature Stalk.jpg|Hens and chicks at maturity, 25&nbsp;cm stalk
</gallery>
==See also==
* [[Hen and chicken plant]]
* [https://succulentcity.com/how-to-grow-hens-and-chicks-succulents/ How to Grow Hen & Chicks Succulents]

==References==
{{Reflist}}



[[Category:Crassulaceae]]
[[Category:Succulent plants]]
[[Category:Flora of Europe]]
[[Category:Flora of North Africa]]
[[Category:Garden plants of Europe]]
[[Category:Drought-tolerant plants]]
[[Category:Groundcovers]]
[[Category:Plant common names]]