Crassula leachii R.Fern.

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: threatened. Confidence: confident

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

Morphology General Habit

A perennial herb (or undershrub?).

Morphology Branches

Main branches up to 23 cm. long and ± 2·5 mm. in diam., flexuose, herbaceous or slightly woody towards the base, the others shorter, more slender, ascending, all fleshy, terete, nearly of an equal diameter from base to top, foliate lengthwise, dark reddish, densely hispid by spreading or slightly retrorse whitish short hairs, ending in a peduncle; nodes not dilatate; internodes 0·4-2cm. long, the uppermost the shortest.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 1·2-2·2 x 0·25-0·9 cm., oblong to elliptic, obtuse at apex, entire and not ciliate at margin, not contracted, sessile and slightly connate at the base, spreading or erect-spreading, seeming to have been flat in living state, neither very thin (but not membranous) nor rigid on drying, with an indumentum on both faces as that of the branches and on account of this greyish or whitish.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers 5-merous, sessile or very shortly pedicellate, in condensate small cymes, forming 3-furcate, up to 2·8 cm. in diam. corymbs at the end of the main branches, or only a cyme at the end of the branchlets; peduncles 4-5·8 cm. long, slender, densely hispid, with 2-3 pairs of small (up to 0·5 cm. long), oblong, hispid bracts; pedicels absent or up to 0·5 mm. long, thick.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 1·6-2 mm. long, equalling to slightly longer than the half of the corolla; sepals ovate to triangular, obtuse or nearly so, connate at base for ± 0·75 mm., hispid outside, ciliate at the margin.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 3-3·25 mm. long, campanulate, white; petals oblong or obovate-oblong, obtuse or rounded at the apex, erect below, reflexed or spreading upwards, minutely scabrid-papillose on the outside at the upper i and with a small mucro just below the apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Filaments 1-1·25 mm. long; anthers 0·4-0·6 mm., suborbicular, purple.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Follicles c. 1-5 mm., not or shortly attenuate; stigmas subterminal, nearly sessile.

Morphology General Scales

Scales c. 0·5 mm. long, cuneate, truncate or slightly emarginate at the apex.