Crassula nudicaulis var. platyphylla

Crassula nudicaulis var. platyphylla is a succulent herb growing to heights from 20 cm to 40 cm.

Its flowers of grow in dense clusters spaced along long, unbranched stalks. The small petal lobes are creamy white; the sepals are green with hairy margins.

The leaves are mainly grouped at ground level, few small, paired ones up the stems. The plants may clump through basal branching. Leaves are paddle-shaped and succulent. They are shorter and rounder than those of C. nudicaulis var. nudicaulis. Leaf colour is blue-green, but the leaves may turn pink or red when growing in full sun, especially the upper parts.

The distribution of the variety lies in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape.

The habitat is semi-arid karoid scrubland on dry, stony slopes and flats, often in exposed conditions in clay soils. The plant is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Smith, et al, 2017; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; http://redlist.sanbi.org).