Burro’s tail vs Jelly bean plant

Sedum morganianum · Sedum rubrotinctum

Pet safety: Burro’s tail is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Jelly bean plant is toxic. If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Why these two get mixed up

Both are Sedum, so they arrive on the same shelf under near-identical labels and are routinely swapped in the trade.

Burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) — **Burro’s tail** — Sedum morganianum. Photograph by Morningdew51 at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.

Jelly bean plant (Sedum rubrotinctum) — **Jelly bean plant** — Sedum rubrotinctum. Photograph by W.carter, Wikimedia Commons , CC0.

	Burro’s tail	Jelly bean plant
Scientific name	Sedum morganianum	Sedum rubrotinctum
Family	Crassulaceae	Crassulaceae
Light floor	Bright indirect	Bright indirect
Water	14–28 days	12–24 days
Humidity floor	20%	20%
Mature height	6–36 in	6–12 in
Habit	trailing	spreading
Growth rate	slow	moderate
Difficulty	Easy	Easy
Toxic to pets	No	Yes
Typical price	$12–35	$8–22

Highlighted cells are where the two actually differ. Everything else they share.

The differences that matter

Pet safety

This is the difference that matters most. Burro’s tail is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Jelly bean plant is toxic. If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Mature size

Burro’s tail reaches about 36 inches; Jelly bean plant tops out near 12. Buying the wrong one for a shelf means rehoming it in a year.

Habit

Burro’s tail grows trailing; Jelly bean plant grows spreading. That decides where each one physically works.

Which should you buy?

With a cat or dog in the house, take Burro’s tail. The other is toxic, and if the shop label is wrong you will not know which you have brought home.
In a dim room, take either — both have a bright-indirect light floor.
If you forget to water, take Burro’s tail, which goes 18 days between drinks.
If it is your first plant, take either — both score 2 of 5.
For a small shelf, take Jelly bean plant, which stops around 12 inches.

Full entries

Burro’s tail — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. Jelly bean plant — the same.

Sources

This database's own care records for Sedum morganianum and Sedum rubrotinctum — every figure compared above.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Sedum morganianum and Sedum rubrotinctum
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification for both, cited on each species entry
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, individually credited and licensed above

Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Every comparison above is drawn from a recorded field. Where the honest distinguisher is visual we show both photographs rather than describing a leaf we have no field for. How this is sourced.