Crassula setulosa on the rocks

This is a particularly hairy specimen of Crassula setulosa found flowering on the Lesotho border in KwaZulu-Natal, east of Qacha’s Nek. The plant is quite variable, a dwarf perennial succulent of the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Lesotho and Mpumalanga, but also further north into the Blouberg of Limpopo and as far as Malawi.

The growth habit is a thick and dense mat of many stems with succulent leaf rosettes at their tips. The spirally arranged opposite leaves taper to acute tips and vary in colour from green to red depending on rain, sun and season. Leaves may be convex or flat, sometimes with bristles or cilia fringed on the margins only. Plant size may be about 10 cm in height and 40 cm wide.

The plant grows among rocks in shallow soil pockets or rock crevices on outcrops in shade or full sun, usually at altitudes above 600 m. The plant is not particular about soil type, being found in sandstone, shale, granite and basalt surroundings (Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; iSpot; www.plantzafrica.com).