Crassula sarcocaulis subsp. sarcocaulis, the bonsaiplakkie

The leaves of Crassula sarcocaulis subsp. sarcocaulis are concentrated near stem tips, leaving smooth pale grey stems where the old leaves have dropped off. The flat blade leaves are small, a little fleshy, narrow, attenuating to sharp tips. They are smooth, pale to bright green with entire margins.

Some part of the plant, maybe foliage, was used in traditional medicine in South Africa. While some Crassulaceae family plants, e.g. some members of the Cotyledon, Kalanchoe and Tylecodon genera are poisonous, Crassula plants are generally nontoxic.

This photo was taken in January. The plant grows in habitat among rocks near Kaapsche Hoop on the Mpumalanga escarpment (Onderstall, 1984; Vahrmeijer, 1981).