Crassula morrumbalensis R.Fern.

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

Morphology General Habit

A perennial succulent herb.

Morphology Stem

Stem procumbent up to 4 mm. thick, glabrous, rooting at some nodes, branched, leafless at the prostrate part but with leaves at the ascending extremity, emitting short erect branchlets lengthwise and sometimes also subsessile rosette of leaves.

Morphology Branches

Branchlets up to 5 cm. long, sharply 4-angular, concave at the sides, thickened at nodes, covered with a papery ± detaching bark (or epidermis?) which is brown-blackish towards the base of branches and brown-reddish towards the apex, foliate; middle-internodes up to 8 mm. long, successively decreasing towards apex and base, those of rosettes very short.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves either oblong-elliptical, up to 24 x 5 mm., attenuate towards the base (± 2·5 mm. broad just above the sheath) and acute, or elliptical, up to 13 x 7 mm. and nearly acute at the apex, all entire, with acute, ciliate margins, (the cilia very short, obtuse, white, rather close, sometimes near touching, retrorse, those near the leaf-base somewhat longer (up to 0·3 mm. long), acute and ± scattered), glabrous on both surfaces, flat, decussate, erect and disposed in rosettes at the extremities of stem and branches, the other erect-spreading or spreading, neither very thick nor very rigid and brown-reddish (the older ones blackish) on drying; sheath up to 1·5 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles

Peduncles solitary at the end of the erect branchlets, surrounded at the base by the leaf-rosettes, slender, glabrous or very slightly pilose at the apex, (the hairs very short, retrorse, appressed, whitish), with two pairs of small, ciliate bracts, one pair between the base and the middle of peduncle, the other between the middle of the peduncle and the base of the inflorescence, sometimes only a pair present.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers 5-merous, disposed in small cymes forming dense corymbs up to 2 cm. in diam. at the end of the peduncles; branches of inflorescence somewhat thick, glabrous or sparsely-pilose, the hairs appressed, very short; pedicels up to 1·5 mm. long; bracts and bracteoles very shortly ciliate at the margin.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 2-2·25 mm. long, obconical below the sepals; sepals 1·25-1·75 x 0·5-0·75 (at the base) mm., shorter than the half of corolla, oblong-lanceolate, subacute, apparently not or very slightly keeled, ciliate at the margin and along the median line of the back, the cilia very short, sparse.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla ± 4 mm. long, white; petals oblong-obovate, 1·25-1·5 mm. broad, obtuse, minutely scabrous-papillose at the upper 2/3 on the outside and with a very small mucro just below the apex, connate at the base for ca. 0·6 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens shorter than the corolla; filaments 2-2·25 mm. long; anthers ± 0·6 mm. long, ovate before dehiscence, oblong after dehiscence.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Follicles (with styles) 3·5-4 mm., long, tapering in the upper part towards the styles, smooth; styles ca. 0·5 mm. long, smooth; stigmas minutely capitate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds ca. 0·5 mm. long, rounded at the top, slightly ribbed.

Morphology General Scales

Scales ca. 0·4 mm. long, subquadrate, very slightly emarginate.