Crassula tetragonia L.                                                                           Crassulaceae (Stonecrop Family)   South Africa   Chinese Pine

                                          May Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Glabrous branched subshrub to 2 ft. high; lvs. subtetragonous, markedly upcurved, about 1 in. long; cymes corymbose, with small white fls.; fls. with sepals, petals, stamens and pistils of same number.

Habitat:  Species probably 250 or more, mostly S. African, a few grown under glass and in windows or in the far south in the open, mostly for their foliage and interesting habit.  (Bailey 455). 

Name:  Crassula: Latin diminutive of crassus, thick.  (Bailey 456).  Tetragonus:  four-angled.  (Bailey 22).

General:  Uncommon in the study area, found only on the Castaways Bluffs where it is an escape from cultivation.  When I worked for the Irvine Co. in the 1950's, I took specimens of this plant for my garden; this after the Castaways restaurant burned in about 1956.  (my comments).      Perhaps 900 species in the family, mostly subshrubs and fleshy herbs.  (Bailey 454).

Text Ref:  Bailey 456; Roberts 21.

Photo Ref:  Mar-April 85 # 14; April-May 85 # 19,20; May-June 91 # 5.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.

First Found:  April 1985.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 350.

No Plant Specimen.

Last edit 12/17/03..                                                  

                                           April Photo