€7,95

🌱 Morphology

Shrubby succulent, highly branched, with an initially upright habit that can become trailing or pendulous over time, reaching approximately 1 m in mature specimens. The stems are thin, brownish-gray in color, and become lignified with age.

The leaves are opposite and decussate, fleshy, flat, and ovate in shape, measuring approximately 14–33 × 12–20 mm. The base narrows sharply, and the two leaves of each pair are partially fused around the stem, creating the characteristic appearance of a chain of stacked leaves. They are grayish-green in color, with frequently reddish margins and an acute or obtuse apex.

It is a highly variable species: compact forms exist alongside considerably larger ones. Under intense lighting and cool temperatures, the margins and parts of the leaves can acquire reddish or pinkish tones.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family

Family Crassulaceae. Its natural range extends from the Cape provinces to KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa. It grows in rocky environments, slopes, crevices, and rock faces within various plant communities in subtropical and semi-arid regions.

The species has a fairly wide distribution and crosses different climate zones, so a single growth pattern based solely on the longitude or latitude of its distribution should not be automatically applied.

Kew currently recognizes two subspecies: C. perforata subsp. perforata and C. perforata subsp. kougaensis. The latter is a much smaller plant specialized for rock faces in the Eastern Cape.

❄️ Temperature

USDA Zone 9b–11b. It tolerates relatively low temperatures when dry and properly acclimatized. In cultivation, it is advisable to protect it from prolonged frosts and, above all, from the combination of cold and moist substrate.

Moderate temperatures favor its growth, while both intense heat and cold can temporarily reduce its activity.

☀️ Lighting

Intense lighting is recommended, with a target of 15–25 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ of DLI PAR.

Good light availability keeps internodes short, encourages compact growth, and enhances the reddish coloration of the margins. Plants grown in low light should be gradually acclimatized to higher radiation levels.

💧 Growth cycle and watering

Crassula perforata exhibits greater ecological plasticity than Crassula species restricted to regions with exclusively winter rainfall. Its wide distribution, from the Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, means it is not appropriate to rigidly classify it as exclusively a winter or summer grower.

In cultivation, it is recommended to observe the plant's actual activity. During phases of active growth, water thoroughly and allow the substrate to dry out completely before watering again.

During periods of extreme temperatures, especially intense heat, activity may decrease and watering should be spaced out considerably. It is not recommended to keep the substrate slightly moist continuously.

🌸 Flowering

The flowers appear in elongated terminal inflorescences, up to about 8 cm long, with numerous practically sessile flowers.

They are small, with a yellowish tubular corolla, oblong petals shortly fused at the base, and brown anthers. The recorded flowering for subspecies perforata extends approximately from November to April in the southern hemisphere. In Spain, it may occur mainly during spring and summer, although the date may vary depending on the cultivation cycle and environmental conditions.

🌿 Nutrition

During the active growth period, Desert CHOICE® Succulents is recommended. Before the formation of inflorescences, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering.

Do not fertilize when the plant has clearly stopped growing due to extreme temperatures or during a dormant period.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technical square pot with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.

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