Crassula pyramidalis flowers

The five white petals of each Crassula pyramidalis flower, narrowly oblong with rounded tips, spread widely upon opening. They grow in a dense cluster at the stem-tip. Nothing of the stigma or anthers is visible, all contained modestly in the flower tube behind its small, dark mouth.

Pollinators do access the precious cargo of pollen, however, in exchange for a nectar reward they may find, or not. The tubular flowers reach 1 cm in length, their sepals invisible behind the many corollas.

The monocarpic stem, flowering only once before dying, has already branched at the base to allow other stems the chance of flowering later when the dead central stem has set seed and departed. Branching also happens higher up on the stems.

Stem colour, i.e. leaf colour, as the stems are fully hidden behind the densely stacked leaves, vary between green and red, depending on living conditions (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; http://worldofsucculents.com).