Notice

Colin Mills, compiler of the Hortus Camdenensis, died in late November 2012 after a short illness. As he always considered the Hortus his legacy, it is his family's intention to keep the site running in perpetuity. It will not, however, be updated in the near future.

Crassula acutifolia Lam.

Frost tender, succulent, evergreen perennial with erect, sometimes decumbent, branched stems, with opposite, lance-shaped, fleshy leaves, compressed to round in section, and cream flowers in summer.  To 1m.  [RHSD, Hortus].

Horticultural & Botanical History

Figured in Decandelle and Redouté’s Plantarum Historia Succulentarum.  [PHS vol.1, pl.2/1799-1837].

First cultivated in Europe in 1795.  Johnson’s Dictionary gives the country of origin of C. acutifolia as Greece, with the date of introduction of C. tetragona, from South Africa, as 1711. 

History at Camden Park

First listed in a handwritten note in an 1850 catalogue [MP A2947A] and subsequently in the 1857 catalogue [T.350/1857].

Notes

Published Mar 01, 2009 - 04:39 PM | Last updated Jul 16, 2010 - 04:36 PM

Figured is a small herb with succulent leaves and tiny yellow flowers.  Plantarum Historia succulentarum v.1 pl.2, 1799.

Crassula acutifolia Lam. | pl.2 | PHS vol.1, pl.2/1799-1837 | BHL

Family Crassulaceae
Category
Region of origin

South Africa

Synonyms
  • Crassula tetragona L. subsp. lignescens
  • Crassula densifolia Harv.
Common Name
Name in the Camden Park Record

Crassula acutifolia

Confidence level high