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Crassula multicava 'Mali's Thai-Dye' (Mali's Fairy Crassula) - A variegated form of the popular evergreen low-growing Fairy Crassula, Crassula multicava . Like the species, this plant rarely exceeds one foot tall in the landscape and can remain even lower when grown in dry shade, forming wide dense mats of solid cover with 1 1/2 inch long rounded leaves in opposite pairs that are an olive green color variegated with irregular broad mostly marginal bands of cream and occasional pure albino cream colored leaves. In late winter into spring appear the petite flowers which are pink in bud and then open to charming little white stars that are very showy as a spray above the foliage on reddish stems. After flowering small plantlets form in the flower axils and on this plant the plantlets are also variegated or all white.
Plant in shade or in full coastal sun. In shade it is tolerant of extended dry periods and, in fact needs no supplemental irrigation to survive in these conditions in Santa Barbara but will grow more vigorously with an occasional watering. Crassula multicava is often listed for frost free gardens but the species has long been grown in our area and thrived in our nursery garden with little damage on the cold nights of December 1990 with short duration temperatures below 20° F and the 3 nights dropping to 25° F in the January 2007 freeze, and we expect this variegated form to have a similar tolerance. For more information on the species see our listing for Crassula multicava, which we continue to grow. We also grow a form with the backsides of the leaves colored red that is called Crassula multicava 'Ngabara'.
Crassula multicava occurs naturally along the forest margin, riparian areas and within coastal vegetation from Mpumulanga (Eastern Transvaal), Natal to the Eastern and southern Cape provinces. The genus Crassula was a Linnaean name first used in 1753 and comes from the Latin word 'crassus' meaning "thick" that refers to the thick plump leaves of many of the genus. The specific epithet given this plant by the French botanist Charles Antoine Lemaire (1800 - 1871) in 1862 comes from the Latin words 'multi' meaning "many" and 'cava' which means a "hollow", "hole" or "cavity" in reference to the pore-like holes in the leaves of this species. These holes, allowing the rapid uptake of water directly into the plant, are called "hydathodes", though this name has traditionally been used for a gland that secretes water instead of the reverse. Other common names for this plant include Pitted Crassula, Mosquito Flower, London Pride and Cape Province Pygmyweed.
This exciting new variegated form of this plant was given us in January 2022 to introduce into the nursery trade by bay area horticulturist and landscape designer Mathew McGrath of Farallon Gardens. Matthew and his wife Mali discovered this plant in a bay area garden and Matthew named it for her with a nod to Mali's Thai heritage and as a play off the word tie-dye, since the variegated leaves are decorated in such a manner. We are building stock on this attractive and interesting plant with hopes of releasing it before we close the nursery in 2025.
This information about Crassula multicava 'Mali's Thai-Dye' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate 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 that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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