Crassula (KRASS-you-lah) is a large genus of succulent plants. The species are native to many parts of the world. Crassula originated 60 to 70 million years ago in possibly central Africa.
Crassula evolved as it moved North to Europe, then Asia. Becoming Sedums and Sinocrassula etc.. Presumably due to climate change.
The southern African lot also moved with continental drift with Gondwanaland and New Zealand having around 10 species of Crassula. And other related African genera having close relatives here and in the Southern American continent. So most Crassulacea are in the Southern hemisphere
The name crassula comes from the Latin, meaning thick, referring to the thickening of the succulent leaves. From petite ground covers up to enormous, tree-like shrubs more than 10 feet tall, crassula grows in many forms.
Probably the most well-known is the Jade plant (Crassula ovata). Many of us know it as a houseplant, but in warm climates, it grows into a shrub.
Crassula ovata was first described by Philip Miller in England during 1768. The name Crassula is the diminutive of the Latin crassus which means thick or fat, referring to the fleshy nature of the genus as a whole. The species name ovata means egg-shaped, referring to the leaves.
Many other Crassula species are much smaller, including some miniatures and creeping ground covers.
They are all quite fascinating, the types of plants you see occasionally and wonder “What is that?” With the resurgence of succulent container gardening, these smaller Crassula species are becoming more readily available and their easy growing habit makes them worth getting to know.
Crassulacean Acid Metabolism…
Unlike all succulents, however, crassula have developed a unique strategy called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism, or CAM Bugs Bug Them…