Crassula columnaris subsp. columnaris with and without

This pair of Crassula columnaris subsp. columnaris plants is not immediately recognised as of the same species due to the mop of hair covering the one, the remains of past flowers.

Flowers of this species arrive in winter or early spring. The photo was taken in April, many months after the last blooming season. The micro-environment of more stone than open ground in full sun is typical of the habitat this plant copes with in the Oudtshoorn district.

The stonecrop family, the Crassulaceae, has surely earned its name (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010).