Description

Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’ is a perennial succulent plant native to southern Africa.

This cultivar and species is commonly known as “the campfire plant”, “red flames”, or “red pagoda”.

Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’ is used ornamentally to add a dash of permanent colour to the garden.

This species and cultivar is also an excellent indoor plant for pots or containers.

Leaves of Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’

Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’ is a hardy succulent with evergreen leaves that range in colour from lime-green to bright red. Their unique propeller shaped leaves give them an “edgy” look, and when combined with their striking red colour, they create a dramatic display.

Growth habit of Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’

It is a small branching succulent that is a good choice to use as a groundcover, filler plant, or for a particularly pretty hanging basket.

This species is a good choice in landscaping projects because it is compact and tidy. It doesn’t climb up other plants.

How to grow Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’

Plant in full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil.

When grown in shade the leaves are bright apple-green all year round.

For maximum red colour plant this species in a sunny spot (which receives 6 or more hours of full-sun per day).

If you also limit the amount of water the plants receive they will turn a brighter red colour.

The leaves (foliage) of Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’ are the best asset of this succulent plant.

Prune dead flowers after they die and dry out.

Flowers of Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’

Spikes of pretty white star-shaped flowers bloom in summer and attract butterflies, bees, and other tiny insects.

Growth Habit and Size of Crassula capitella

An extremely variable species. The narrow, pointed, splayed (“propeller-like”^[2]) leaves are initially a light green, but become a strong reddish colour in the sun.^[3]

The leaves are stacked, and near the base of the rosette they are larger. Near the top of a rosette, the leaves gradually get smaller and change into floral bracts, as the stem forms a long, pointed inflorescence.^[4]

It is a small, succulent herb (15-40 cm in height) – with stems that are either erect or rambling and mat-forming. Each stem forms roots at its internodes, which take root if the stem lies against the ground.

Crassula capitella is mostly biennial, blooming in the summer, with small, white, star-shaped flowers forming all around each thick, upright stem. ^[1][5] It grows to a height of about 6 inches tall, and may be damaged when exposed to temperatures below 30 °F (−1 °C).^[5]

Plant Care and Cultivation of Crassula capitella

Crassula capitella prefer full sun to partial shade, average watering needs, and shouldn’t be exposed to temperatures below 30 °F (−1 °C).^[5][6] It may suffer from foliage edema, which may be the result of rapid changes in moisture.^[5]

Distribution of the “red flames” or “red pagoda” plant

Crassula capitella is native to southern Africa; it is found in Transvaal, Free State, Eastern Cape, and in some parts of southern Namibia and Botswana.^[1]

Subspecies

• Crassula capitella subsp. capitella ‘campfire’: biennial basal rosette with smooth (hairless) stems and unbranched spike inflorescence.^[1]
• Crassula capitella subsp. enantiophylla^[1]
• Crassula capitella subsp. meyeri: a decumbent subspecies from the sandy coastline of KwaZulu-Natal^[1]
• Crassula capitella subsp. nodulosa: a perennial shrub with one or two rosettes on hairy stems.^[1]
• Crassula capitella subsp. sessilicymula: a perennial shrub (40cm) with a woody trunk and branched inflorescence.^[1]
• Crassula capitella subsp. thyrsiflora: a perennial shrub with multiple pinkish-red rosettes, that become stacked in a pagoda form (“red pagoda”) and an unbranched spike inflorescence. ^[1]
• Crassula capitella subsp. corymbulosa^[7]
• Crassula capitella ‘pagoda village’ – smallest variety with compact stacked growth that resembles miniature pagodas.

Companion plants that grow well with Crassula capitella

► Browse: Portulacaria afra – spekboom

► Browse: Lampranthus amoenus – darling Lampranthus

► Browse: Othonna capensis – little pickles

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References

Notice of Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License:
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Crassula capitella”, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.