Crassula nudicaulis var. platyphylla| Bare-stemmed crassula
€31,80
🌱 Morphology
Broad-leaved Crassula. A small, perennial, compact, and virtually stemless succulent that forms a dense rosette directly on a very short base. The leaves are one of its most distinctive features: broadly obovate to nearly rounded, very obtuse, flat, rigid, and glabrous, approximately 2.5–3 × 1.9–2.5 cm. They have a bluish-green or grayish hue and can acquire reddish or purplish tones when they receive intense lighting. The margins are smooth.
During flowering, it develops an erect peduncle of about 20–25 cm, pubescent and slightly ribbed, which ends in an elongated, thyrse-shaped inflorescence.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is a variety endemic to South Africa, belonging to the Crassulaceae family. Its natural range is restricted to the mountains of the southern Great Karoo, approximately from Worcester to Prince Albert and Beaufort West, in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Eastern Cape provinces.
It grows on dry and frequently exposed rocky slopes, in an environment of marked aridity and high thermal amplitude. SANBI currently considers this taxon Least Concern and reports a stable population.
❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 9b–11b
It comes from a continental and arid environment in the Great Karoo, so it tolerates low temperatures when kept dry and well-ventilated. In cultivation, it is recommended to protect it from intense and prolonged frosts, especially if the substrate remains moist.
☀️ Lighting
It needs high lighting to maintain the compact shape of the rosette and develop the characteristic bluish-gray hue. It tolerates progressive direct sun and also slightly filtered exposure during hours of maximum radiation.
Guideline DLI PAR: 15–25 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹.
Insufficient lighting can produce greener leaves, less compact growth, and less expression of reddish tones.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. Its origin in the southern Great Karoo, with an arid climate and marked summer drought, suggests a growth cycle concentrated in the more moderate seasons and a significant reduction in watering during periods of intense heat.
During active growth, it is recommended to water abundantly and let the substrate dry completely before watering again. In summer, when high temperatures reduce its activity, watering should be spaced out significantly and it can be kept almost dry during the hottest periods.
It is not recommended to establish a rigid schedule: the plant's response and the actual temperatures should determine when to resume watering.
🌸 Flowering
The inflorescence rises well above the rosette via a 20–25 cm peduncle and ends in a long, narrow thyrse, formed by small groups of flowers very close to each other.
The flowers are small, white to cream in color, with urceolate corollas and green sepals provided with small white cilia. In cultivation, it can bloom during spring and early summer, although the date may vary depending on temperature and lighting conditions.
🌿 Nutrition
During periods of active growth, Desert CHOICE® Succulents is recommended, applied after watering and with the substrate previously moistened. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technical square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.
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