There is a considerable spread in the properties of red clump stars even within a single population of similar stars such as an open cluster. This is partly due to the natural variation in temperatures and luminosities of horizontal branch stars when they form and as they evolve, and partly due to the presence of other stars with similar properties. Although red clump stars are generally hotter than red-giant-branch stars, the two regions overlap and the status of individual stars can only be assigned with a detailed chemical abundance study.