Crassula brevifolia
Crassula brevifolia is a succulent plant native to the arid western edge of South Africa (including the Namaqualand, as far south as Vanrhynsdorp) as well as southern Namibia.
| Crassula brevifolia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The thickly-succulent leaves of Crassula brevifolia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Crassulaceae |
| Genus: | Crassula |
| Species: | C. brevifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Crassula brevifolia Harv. | |
Description
A small (reaching 50cm in height), branching, perennial shrub.
It has distinctively short, thickly-succulent leaves, which are roughly triangular in cross-section but with slightly rounded angles (leaf-margins). It has flaking brown bark on its thin, woody stems.
Variation
This is a very variable species, with two subspecies and many regional forms.
- subsp. brevifolia. The type subsp. grows on exposed quartzitic or granite outcrops, from Namibia to as far south as Vanrhynsdorp. It has papillate ovaries (each with 18-24 ovules), and the leaves usually point upwards, between visible internodes.
- subsp. psammophila. A rarer subspecies that favours flatter sands or gravels near the Orange River in the Northern Cape Province.[1]
Related species
This species is closely related to Crassula rupestris and Crassula perforata.[2]
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crassula brevifolia.
Wikispecies has information related to Crassula brevifolia.
- Toelken, H.R. (1975). A Revision of the Genus Crassula in Southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany. 8. p.424.
- Doreen Court (2000). Succulent Flora of Southern Africa. CRC Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-90-5809-323-3.
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