Crassula namaquensis subsp. namaquensis

Crassula namaquensis subsp. namaquensis is a dwarf succulent that branches to spread some erect, grey-green leaves on short, stems trailing in the sand. The plant is at home in Namaqualand as the name strongly suggests, but also in the Richtersveld and southern Namibia.

More than half of Namaqualand’s 3000 plant species are endemic, making this a focal area of endemism. The typical Namaqualand plant is a dwarf, often a succulent. The mesembs, crassulas, stapeliads and Iridaceae bulbous plants are strongly represented among these rooted citizens.

This small Crassula was seen spread into a small, comfortable colony among quartzite rocks at Komaggas, west of Springbok, the main town of Namaqualand. The leaves are thickly succulent, variably ridged in brown at the tops of the velvety grey leaves (iSpot; Cowling and Pierce, 1999).