Crassula mesembryanthemoides

The new millennium has brought a resurgence in the popularity of succulents and drought resistant plants. Not only do they embolden your gardening confidence by refusing to die, but they are easily propagated into new plants, turning the novice into a skilled botanist! Clearwater Color Nursery has kept abreast with this trend, accumulating a plethora of succulents for your collection, and Crassula mesembryanthemoides is just one of many. It resembles the ice plant mesembryanthemum, and so was named after it, but is in the Genus Crassula, containing 200 other species native to South East Africa. It is contained in the family Crassulaceae, along with Aeonium, Sedum, and Echevaria Genera, many of which we also carry.

Crassula mesembryanthemoides is a sub-shrub growing 15 inches high with inch long bright green succulent leaves that are covered in fine grey hairs, giving it a beautiful tracing of frost emphasizing the repeated sickle shape. Many Crassula’s have a repeated geometrical pattern, including mesembryanthemoides, although it has a more spontaneous and whimsical pattern than most. End of summer begins its lovely bloom of bell shaped pale pink/orange flower clusters shot off of a stem to hover above the plant.

Crassula mesembryanthemoides enjoys full sun to partial shade and well drained succulent soil. It does extremely well in containers, but will need some food during the spring and summer. Feed it with a 20-20-20 fertilizer at ¼ strength once or twice a year to see it expand and blossom happily. Crassula’s are tough, resilient, unfussy plants with remarkable water storage capabilities and survival skills. You will easily be able to start a new plant by division, offsets, and leaf cuttings. We are currently growing Crassula mesembryanthemoides in 4.5” pots. Give us a call, “Like” us on Facebook, or check out oebsite www.clearwatercolor.com to see photos and get information on these and many other plants we grow.