Crassula tetragona

Crassula tetragona is an erect or spreading succulent shrub that grows to 60 cm in height. The lower, big stems tend to become woody, covered in brown bark. There is marked flattening in the leaf-shape above and below.

The large geographical distribution of the species ranges from Namaqualand in the Northern Cape across the Karoo and Little Karoo in the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape. The six subspecies that have been described and recognised in South Africa roughly occur in separate parts of the distribution. There are chromosome number variations among some of the subspecies.

The habitat includes varied living condition giving the plant a range of developmental challenges that facilitated variation. The plants are found in loamy soil among scrub on flats and rocky slopes, mostly in dry regions. In the arid interior, full sun may bring about a reddish leaf appearance, while semi-shade and rain result in the pale to dark green foliage seen here (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Wikipedia; iNaturalist).