About
Crassula coccinea, the red crassula, is a small shrubby succulent from the Western Cape of South Africa, grown for more than three centuries for its vivid scarlet flower heads.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Water
- Water well during the winter growing season.
- Soil
- Sandy, acidic soil.
- Mature size
- 30–60 cm tall.
Field notes
Morphology
Grows 30–60 cm tall from a few upright or sprawling stems that branch at the base and become woody, up to 1.3 cm thick. Oval succulent leaves, hairless apart from tiny marginal hairs, sit stalkless in overlapping opposite pairs forming four rows. Bright red flowers crowd into flat-topped clusters at the stem tips.
Distribution & habitat
Native to the Western Cape of South Africa, from the Cape Peninsula to Still Bay. It has naturalised in New Zealand on Rangitoto Island near Auckland and at Camp Bay on Banks Peninsula.
Ecology
Pollinated by the Table Mountain beauty butterfly (Aeropetes tulbaghia), which, unusually for a butterfly, favours red and orange flowers.
Cultivation notes
Valued for its brilliant flowers and easy cultivation. It needs sandy, acidic soil and generous watering during its winter growing season.
History & etymology
Named by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It reached England from the Cape in 1714 through Professor Bradley of Oxford, and William Curtis wrote in 1800 that few succulents could rival it.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- South Africa
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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