Crassula tetragona

Crassula tetragona is a drought tolerant, evergreen succulent plant with a compact upright habit, dark green, sword-shaped leaves.

Particularly graphic in its structure, it is often used as an ‘accent plant’ – as a solitary piece on a table or in a windowbox.

It is most commonly called the miniature pine tree among plant enthusiasts, and is often used in the creation of pine-like bonsai.

The Crassula are known as pygmyweeds – they are a large group of succulents containing over 200 species.

TIPS: Cut them back if they get too long or too leggy – they respond well to a trim!

The Tale:

“Crassula” means thick or fat in Latin, referring to the leaves that become plumpy the more water they are able to store.

This is a good indicator of the health of your crassula – if less plumpy, then she needs a dash of water!

This genus was first named in 1862 and the genus contains 150-200 species, most of them occurring in South Africa.

The species name ‘tetragona’ means ‘with four sides’ and describes the arrangement of the leaves.

South Africa