Crassula subaphylla

Crassula subaphylla is a succulent plant, widespread in the Karoo regions of South Africa and Namibia.

Crassula subaphylla
The twiggy, decumbent stems of Crassula subaphylla, growing in the Robertson Karoo.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Crassula
Species:
C. subaphylla
Binomial name
Crassula subaphylla
Harv.

Description
The brittle stems often have flaking strips of bark

A small, sparse, shrubby species.

The leaves are distinctively pointed/conical (lanceolate-linear), and easily break off. They are usually slightly velvety (puberulous), succulent, 8-15 mm long, light grey-green to yellow-green, and are sparsely spread along the stems.

Its thin, wirey, twiggy (usually decumbent) stems are brittle and hard, slightly velvety (puberulous), with flaking strips of bark.

The flowers have distinctively recurved membranous wings on both sides of the petal tips.

Regional variation

The typical form, with small lanceolate leaves, occurs in the Little Karoo, the Great Karoo as far as Namibia, and in surrounding karooid and mountainous areas, as well as the Overberg in the southern Cape. The rare variety virgata is only found in the far western Namaqualand, and has smooth leaves on erect branches. The form that occurs around Worcester, in the south-west, also decumbent, sometimes has thin, glabrous leaves and only the young stems are slightly hairy.

The closest relatives of this species are Crassula mollis, Crassula atropurpurea, Crassula cultrata and Crassula pubescens. All of these species are caulescent perennials in the Crassula section Globulea, with woody branches, visible internodes, and leaves that do not persist long on the stems.

It can sometimes also be confused with the sympatric (but relatively unrelated) species Crassula tetragona or Crassula brevifolia.[1]

References
  1. Doreen Court (2000). Succulent Flora of Southern Africa. CRC Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-90-5809-323-3.
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