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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Crassulaceae (Stonecrops) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Red/Purple Foliage: Yes |
| Flower Color: Cream |
| Bloomtime: Summer/Fall |
| Synonyms: (C. platyphylla, C. pubescens ssp. radicans, Hort) |
| Height: <1 foot |
| Width: <1 foot |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Crassula nudicaulis var. platyphylla (Red Carpet) - A dense low growing plant growing nearly 4 to 8 inches high and spreading 2 to 3 feet wide with older stems rooting at the nodes and short upright stems congested with small flat succulent leaves that are green much of the year but flush bright red in winter when grown in full sun. In the winter also appear the tight rounded clusters of small white flowers on stalks a few inches above the foliage. Plant in a well-drained soil in full to part sun - requires some shade in hot inland locations but color is best with the most light. Requires little water to survive and withholding water is summer also seems to turn foliage reddish and tolerates most any soil condition. Frost hardy to 20° F. A great little plant in the near frost free garden as a groundcover where it requires little water and is fire resistant; also useful in containers. Another common name for this plant is Carpet Jade. This plant ranges throughout Cape Province of South Africa where it is found on exposed dry rocky slopes. The genus Crassula was a name Linnaeus first used in 1753 and comes from the Latin word 'crassus' meaning "thick" that refers to the thick plump leaves of many in the genus. The specific epithet is from the Latin words 'nudus' meaning "naked" 'caulis' meaning "stem" in reference to the leafless peduncles of the inflorescence. The subspecific epithet comes from the Greek words 'platy' meaning "flat" or "broad" and 'phyllus' meaning "leaf" for this plant leaf shape. We long grew this plant (since 2010) listing it as Crassula pubescens ssp. radicans, which is a very similar that is even lower growing plant and comes from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. We thank John Trager, curator of the Desert Garden at the Huntington Botanic Garden for straightening out the differences between these two taxa for us. It was first described as Crassula platyphylla and is often sold under this name but the most current treatment is that it is a subspecies of Crassula nudicaulis.
The information about Crassula nudicaulis var. platyphylla displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
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