Crassula nudicaulis var. nudicaulis in Bainskloof

These small Crassula nudicaulis plants of yet another appearance were photographed during October in Bainskloof. The somewhat pointed leaves curve in towards their tips. The leaves have fairly flat inner surfaces here, their succulence causing a bulge at the back, rendering the outside surfaces shallowly convex. Redness spreads on some leaves, mainly towards the tips, rather than along the margins as in C. nudicaulis var. platyphylla.

The erect inflorescence has only one pair of small leaves on the stalk halfway up to the flower clusters in picture. The fine, whitish hairs on the stem are so short, they’re almost granular rather than hairy.

This may well be C. nudicaulis var. nudicaulis, a plant found in much of South Africa and beyond the northern border in varied habitats. Plants with similar leaves have been settled for as most likely var. nudicaulis on iSpot. The common name of sourfig stonecrop has been bestowed on the subspecies (Manning and Goldblatt, 1997; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iSpot).