Crassula rupestris

    Botanical name

    Crassula rupestris

    Other names

    Concertina plant; kebab bush; sosatiebos (Afrikaans)

    Family

    Crassulaceae

    Dimensions

    Small succulent bush, rounded and dense when standing alone, 15 cm high by 25 cm wide in a well-growing, mature plant

    Description of stem

    Many-branched, curving attractively, red-brown with grey pieces flaking, sturdy stems from which the sessile succulent leaves grow in their distinctively opposite patterns

    Description of leaves

    Thick fleshy with light green or yellow surface, reddish on the edges, flatter top surface whilst more rounded underneath, every opposing pair of leaves at right angles with the previous pair

    Description of flowers

    Clusters of pinkish white flowers on branched stems over the leaves

    Description of seed/fruit

     

    Description of roots

     

    Variation

    Greener in more shaded and moist positions

     

     

    Propagation and cultivation

    Grows easily from cuttings, hardy

    Tolerances

     

    Uses

    Rockery gardens or xeriscaping

    Ecological rarity

    Common and robust in mostly arid areas

    Pests and diseases

    Resistant to disease

    Other

     

    Location

    Northern slopes of arid regions, thriving in positions exposed to hot sun

    Distribution

    Little and Great Karoo, Eastern, Western and Northern Cape, Richtersveld

    Country

    South Africa, Namibia


    Crassula rupestris at Baviaanskloof; Photographed by Jack Latti

    Crassula rupestris in bloom; Photographed by Ricky Mauer in August