Crassula gemmifera

Crassula gemmifera is a dwarf leaf succulent, a perennial that grows mainly spreading, soft branches up to 10 cm long. They root where nodes touch the ground, forming small mats. In picture some young branches are erect. Gravity will deal with them.

The thick, oblong to ovate leaves may be green or red, smooth and round-tipped. The leaves are nearly flat on the inside (above) and convex on the outside (below).

Tiny white or pink flowers grow solitary from the axils of leaves near stem-tips. The four spreading petals of each flower form a cup and end round-tipped, the calyx lobes triangular. The anthers are red and tiny. Flowering happens from late spring to summer.

The species distribution is inland in the Eastern Cape, the east of the Free State and the west of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as in Lesotho, which is probably the centre of the plant’s range. The photo was taken near the Sani Pass.

The habitat is high altitude, muddy and wet spots among stones or rocks, typically near seasonal pools. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Smith, et al, 2017; iNaturalist; https://www.worldfloraonline.org; http://redlist.sanbi.org).