Crassula umbella flowering saucers

A bract-like secondary leaf, small and close to the inflorescence, is visible below the main leaf on most of these Crassula umbella plants seen in August at Naries near Springbok. There are two of them, of unequal size, partly concealed by the clusters of buds. On the advanced inflorescences of some plants this pair of opposing upper stem leaves or bracts are quite small, positioned well below the open flowers.

The flower buds have short, green, clasping sepals, the white corollas already pressing up beyond their grasp. The outside surfaces of the corolla lobes are pinkish on some plants, not pale cream as here (Frandsen, 2017; iNaturalist).