Crassula orbicularis spreading its fringed leaves

    Crassula orbicularis spreading its fringed leaves
    Author: Ivan Lätti
    Photographer: Thabo Maphisa

    This Crassula orbicularis rosette is spreading its slightly elongating leaves so well that their tapering towards the base is showing. Rosettes are sometimes more compact with leaves shorter and leaving shorter exposed parts of the outer ones.

    A small, new plantlet is dangling on a red, wiry stolon in picture. This is a common occurrence in the species, the stolons variable in length. Increased body mass may later give the new rosette a chance of sinking some roots into the debris by the rock and eventually into the soil. Such feats of reaching respectable status as properly grounded plants are usually followed by flowering and more stolons production.

    The leaf margins in picture are white with short, ciliate hairs. There are narrow, dark parts on the leaves along the margins just below the fringes.

    The company this plant keeps is a rambling Curio radicans growing spaced spindle-leaves on decumbent stems. The succulent world is replete with surprising leaf shapes (Smith, et al, 2017; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist).

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