Crassula multicava Lem.
fairy crassula, pitted crassula · feetjie crassula, skaduplakkie (Afr.)
Fast, even, evergreen succulent groundcover for shade, with sprays of small pink-white flowers.
What’s in the name: Crassula: Latin for "little thick one", for the fleshy leaves; multicava: "many pits", for the tiny dots on the leaves.
“In the woods, we return to reason and faith.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature (1836), Project Gutenberg
Available from AVNPlants: see the availability list.
Family
Crassulaceae
Conservation status
Least Concern, SANBI Red List of South African Plants (assessed as Crassula multicava Lem. subsp. multicava)
Natural distribution & habitat
Forest margins, stream banks and coastal and subtropical thicket from Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal south to the Eastern Cape and southern Cape, in sheltered, frost-free places in part shade.
Size & form
Mat-forming evergreen succulent groundcover up to about 30 cm.
Flowering
Winter.
Uses in landscaping
- Mass planting in shade or semi-shade
- Rockeries, rocky banks, hanging baskets and containers
Care notes
Prefers deep, well-composted or clay soils. Leaf or stem cuttings root readily at any time in a free-draining mix; fallen leaves also root, giving easy transplants. Watch for mealybug.
Wildlife value
Bees are the main pollinators; some butterfly larvae feed on Crassula leaves.
Find out more
Facts checked against: SANBI PlantZAfrica species page 'Crassula multicava'; SANBI Red List of South African Plants, Crassula multicava Lem. subsp. multicava (assessment 2005/06/30).