Crassulaceae
Crassula

Crassula ovata (Mill.) Druce

First published in Rep. Bot. Soc. Exch. Club Brit. Isles 1916: 617 (1917)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. Mozambique to SE. Cape Prov. It is a succulent subshrub or shrub and grows primarily in the subtropical biome. It is has environmental uses and social uses, as a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Crassulaceae, R. Fernandes. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983

Morphology General Habit
A large, much branched, completely glabrous, very floriferous shrub, 0·6-3 m. or more high.
Morphology Stem
Stem up to 20 cm. in diam. at the base, subterete, succulent, greyish; branches denuded, ± marked with the scars of the fallen leaves.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 2-5 x 1-3 cm., obovate or broadly elliptical to obovate-spathulate, shortly acuminate and acute or subrounded at the top, entire and reddish at the sharply edged margin, attenuate towards a subpetiolar base, subconnate when young, free with age, fleshy, flattened, slightly concave above and slightly convex beneath, with nectary dots in one row on both sides near the margin (but dots also scattered on both surfaces), green and shining when fresh, dark brown and ± covered with a micaceous caducous peeling layer when dry, ± condensed at the extremities of the branchlets, longer than the internodes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 5-merous, arranged in terminal, ± dense to loose corymbose, pedunculate inflorescences; peduncles 1-4 cm. long; pedicels 4·5-8 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx ± 5 mm. in diam., campanulate to nearly saucer-shaped; sepals 1·15 mm. high and ± 1·5 mm. broad at the base, broadly triangular, acute, connate for ± 1 mm., separated by a rounded sinus, fleshy, their external surface similar to that of the leaves.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white or faintly rose; petals (5)6·25-7·5(10) mm. long, oblong or lanceolate, keeled, acute, mucronate at the apex, slightly connate at the base, spreading.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamen-filaments 4-5·5 mm. long; anthers fertile c. 0·5 mm. broad, transverse-oblong, or.sterile c. 0·75 mm. long and oblong or lanceolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Follicles 3-3·25 mm. long, obliquely oblong-ovoid; styles 2-3 mm. long, filiform.
Morphology General Scales
Scales broader than long.
[FZ]

Distribution
Colombian departments: Bogotá DC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Uses

Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0