Crassula deltoidea among rocks

This old Crassula deltoidea plant grows in a rocky spot at Bosch Luys Kloof northeast of the Seweweekspoort in the Karoo. The bare stems retain only a few leaf-pairs at their tips as they elongate. Stem roughness pays testimony to leaves dropped during years past.

The stems are sturdy enough to hold the succulent masses at the tips above the ground. Later branching depends on growing conditions... quiet life morphs the plant into old age looks, both exposed and protected in its rocky nook.

The leaves fused at the base have deep keels, flat surfaces and angled margins, shaping the cross-section triangularity. The surfaces are grey, covered in a waxy layer and tiny, scattered dots (Smith, et al, 2017; iNaturalist).