Crassula helmsii
Swamp stonecrop
Family CrassulaceaeAlso called New Zealand pigmyweed
About
Crassula helmsii, swamp stonecrop or New Zealand pigmyweed, is an aquatic or semi-aquatic succulent from Australia and New Zealand that has become invasive in many countries.
Field notes
Morphology
Rather stiff shoots carry narrow, parallel-sided leaves 4–24 mm long in opposite pairs. In summer, small white four-petalled flowers rise on long stalks from the upper leaf axils and are always held above the water.
Distribution & habitat
Native to Australia and New Zealand. By 2010 it was recorded throughout the British Isles and in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Cultivation notes
Grows fully submerged in cool-water aquariums or as a submerged or marginal pond plant; once established it grows vigorously and may need cutting back.
Conservation
Listed on the GBIF Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species for eleven countries. Its sale has been banned in the UK since April 2014, and UK law forbids causing it to grow in the wild.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Australia, New Zealand
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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