Crassula brevifolia explained

Crassula brevifolia is a succulent plant native to the arid western edge of South Africa (including the Namaqualand, as far south as Vanrhynsdorp) as well as southern Namibia.

Description

A small (reaching 50cm in height), branching, perennial shrub.

It has distinctively short, thickly-succulent leaves, which are roughly triangular in cross-section but with slightly rounded angles (leaf-margins). It has flaking brown bark on its thin, woody stems.

Variation

This is a very variable species, with two subspecies and many regional forms.

• subsp. brevifolia. The type subsp. grows on exposed quartzitic or granite outcrops, from Namibia to as far south as Vanrhynsdorp. It has papillate ovaries (each with 18-24 ovules), and the leaves usually point upwards, between visible internodes.
• subsp. psammophila. A rarer subspecies that favours flatter sands or gravels near the Orange River in the Northern Cape Province.^[1]

Related species

This species is closely related to Crassula rupestris and Crassula perforata.^[2]

Notes and References

1. Toelken, H.R. (1975). A Revision of the Genus Crassula in Southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany. 8. p.424.
2. Book: Doreen Court. Succulent Flora of Southern Africa. 2000. CRC Press. 978-90-5809-323-3. 105.