''Crassula arborescens''—the silver jade plant, silver dollar (jade) plant, ''beestebul'', Chinese jade, cookie plant, money plant, or money tree, that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, is a species of

succulent plant In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meanin ...

in the family

Crassulaceae The Crassulaceae (, from Latin ''crassus'', thick), also known as the crassulas, the stonecrops or the orpine family, are a diverse Family (biology), family of dicotyledon angiosperms primarily characterized by succulent leaves and a form of phot ...

Description

It grows into a , succulent shrub. It has a single main trunk that can reach a diameter of up to 6 centimeters. The branches are thickened and gray-green in color. Shoots with leaves have a diameter of 7 to 10 millimeters. Unlike the related ''

Crassula ovata ''Crassula ovata'', commonly known as jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or money tree, is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers that is native plant, native to the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, and Moz ...

'' (more commonly-referred to as 'jade'), ''C. arborescens'' has rounded, red-edged, gray leaves shaped like "silver dollars" or "cookies". Older shoots have a yellowish-brown bark that peels off that are divided into individual sections at the nodes. The flat and

obovate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...

to obovate-round leaves are 3.2 to 7 centimeters long and 2.3 to 4.2 centimeters wide. They are

glaucous ''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), ...

in color, have a powdery coating and are spotted with clearly visible water gaps. The leaf edges are reddish and the leaf base is wedge-shaped.

Inflorescences

It blooms in summer, with typical star-shaped ''Crassula'' white or pink flowers.San Marcos Growers - Plant Database: ''Crassula arborescens''
Retrieved 2011-04-04. The terminal

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

consists of thyrses that are rounded at the top and is 5 to 8 centimeters high. It has a lot of dichasia. The 4 millimeter thick inflorescence stalk is 15 to 30 millimeters long and the flower stalk 10 to 12 millimeters long. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s are broadly triangular in shape. The star-shaped corolla reaches a diameter of 18 to 20 millimeters and is light pink or white. The lanceolate petals are 9 to 10 millimeters long and 2.5 to 3 millimeters wide. The

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s are 5 to 6 millimeters long and the purple-colored anther is less than 1 millimeter in size. The fruits are follicles, about 6 mm long and oval in shape, composed of 3-5 follicles each. Generally, even once dried, they remain attached to the plant and the seeds, which are small in size, will then be dispersed by the wind.

Cultivation

It is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

for use in drought tolerant and succulent gardens, and in container gardens. It is also suitable for growing indoors as a

houseplant A houseplant, also known as a pot plant, potted plant, or indoor plant, is an ornamental plant cultivated indoors. for aesthetic or practical purposes. These plants are commonly found in House, homes, Office, offices, and various indoor spaces, w ...

if provided with full-exposure, sunny windows or grow lights, to prevent

etiolation Etiolation is a process in flowering plants grown in partial or complete absence of light. It is characterized by long, weak stems; smaller leaves due to longer internodes; and a pale yellow color (chlorosis). The development of seedlings in t ...

Distribution

It is native to the South African provinces of Western Cape, Eastern Cape and southern

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

. The plants grow on dry rocky surfaces in the

Succulent Karoo The Succulent Karoo is an terrestrial ecoregion, ecoregion defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature to include regions of deserts and xeric shrublands, desert in South Africa and Namibia, and a biodiversity hotspot. The geographic area chosen ...

Gallery

File:Crassula arborescens - flowers - KNBG.jpg, Closeup of flowers File:Crassula arborescens - Flickr - Ragnhild & Neil Crawford.jpg, In habitat,

, South Africa File:Crassula arborescens - Flickr - Ragnhild & Neil Crawford (1).jpg, In habitat, Western Cape, South Africa File:Crassula arborescens, Jardín Botánico de Múnich, Alemania, 2013-05-04, DD 02.jpg, Leaves File:Crassula arborescens subsp undulatifolia 2.jpg, ''C. arborescens'' ssp. ''undulatifolia'', Kirstenbosch Nat'l Botanical Garden

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2705184 arborescens Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces Garden plants of Africa Drought-tolerant plants House plants