Description

Crassula cultrata (also given the common name “sharp-leaved-Crassula”) is a succulent plant native to the southern parts of South Africa (specifically the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces).

Leaves (foliage) of Crassula cultrata (Bush plakkie)

Crassula cultrata has flattened leaves, twisted to one side of the stem, with a harmless sharp margin.

However, when one says sharp, it is not nearly sharp enough to piece any skin. The leaf margins are in fact rather smooth and soft.

The sharp margins of the ob-lanceolate or knife-shaped (“cultrata”) leaves can lose their reddish colour in the shade.

Growth habit of Crassula cultrata

Crassula cultrata is a small, erect, branching shrub (20-80 cm in height) with rounded, yellow-green leaves that have sharp, red-brown, cartilagenous margins. The leaf tip is typically rounded or obtuse.

The succulent leaves are flattened, and ob-lanceolate or knife-shaped (“cultrata”). This shape, and the sharp, cartilagenous edges of its leaves, are distinctive.

Flowers of Crassula cultrata

In December/January it produces elongated flower stems (12-40 cm), each with several loosely-held clumps of yellowish flowers (one of which is terminal). Each flower has black anthers and 3,5-4,5 mm long, cream coloured petals. The loose arrangement of the flowers is a key diagnostic character of this species.

Distribution of Crassula cultrata

It occurs from near Swellendam and Ladismith in the west, throughout the Little Karoo and Overberg regions, and across the arid parts of the Eastern Cape Province.

Its habitat is usually rocky ridges and outcrops in scrub vegetation, often in river valleys.

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