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Volume IV (1988) - Flora of New Zealand Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons
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Crassula L.

CRASSULA L.

Annual or perennial herbs, subshrubs or shrubs. Lvs opposite, simple, entire or sometimes crenately toothed, usually spaced along stems, often decussate, sometimes subrosulate, connate at base or free, sometimes small and scale-like. Infl. terminal or axillary, of loose or compact cymes forming a corymb or thyrse, sometimes 1-few-flowered. Fls 4-5-(12)-merous, erect or spreading in bud. Sepals free or slightly connate at base, equal. Petals free or slightly connate at base, sometimes lower part fused to form a tube, fleshy, often spreading and corolla star-like, usually white, pink or red, rarely yellow. Stamens as many as petals, in 1 whorl, free or almost so, included or exserted. Scales free, very variable in shape. Carpels free, (4)-5-(12). Seeds usually numerous, occasionally 1-few.

SYNOPSIS

The synopsis is mostly taken from Tölken, H. R., A Revision of the Genus Crassula in Southern Africa (1977).

  • A. Subgen. CRASSULA. 
    • Lvs sessile, with hydathodes usually scattered over the surface, if hydathodes marginal then in dense rows; infl. a terminal dichasium, usually with a distinct peduncle; fls not star-like.
    • 1. Sect. CRASSULA. 
      • Infl. a rounded or flat-topped thyrse; calyx usually < 1/2 length of corolla; corolla small, 3-7 mm long:
      • perfoliata L. var. minor (Haw.) G. Rowley
    • 2. Sect. KALOSANTHES. 
      • Infl a ± capitate thyrse; calyx c. 1/2 length of corolla; corolla large, 20-50-(60) mm long:
      • 1.*coccinea
  • B. Subgen. DISPOROCARPA. 
    • Lvs petiolate or sessile, with hydathodes usually in 1-2 rows along the margins, sometimes scattered; infl. a cluster of axillary fls, sometimes fls solitary, rarely a terminal or lateral dichasium, with or without a peduncle; fls usually star-like.
    • 3. Sect. ACUTIFOLIA. 
      • Stems thick, fleshy, erect to almost prostrate, ± woody towards base; infl. a rounded or flat-topped thyrse; fls 5-merous; calyx < petals; corolla small, tubular:
      • sarcocaulis Ecklon et C. Zeyher 5. *tetragona
    • 4. Sect. ANACAMPSEROIDEAE. 
      • Stems rather slender to moderately thick and fleshy, erect to prostrate; infl. a terminal cyme or elongated to flat-topped thyrse, sometimes fls solitary; fls 5-merous; calyx usually < petals; corolla rather small, composed of free, patent petals:
      • arborescens (Miller) Willd. 3. *multicava*pellucida4. *spathulata
    • 5. Sect. GLOMERATAE. 
    • 6. Sect. HELOPHYTON. 

Key

1
Fls 5-merous; perennial herbs or subshrubs with stout to rather slender stems; lvs usually > 12 mm long
2
Fls 4-(5)-merous; annual or perennial herbs with very slender or filiform stems; lvs < 12 mm long
6
2
Stems erect, stout, 15-50 cm high
3
Stems prostrate to spreading, rather slender and lax, ascending to c. 15 cm high
4
3
Lvs subterete; petals 2-3 mm long, white
5 *tetragona
Lvs flattened, narrowly ovate-oblong to elliptic; petals 40-47 mm long, scarlet
1. *coccinea
4
Corolla tubular with petals fused to nearly 1/2 way, not star-like although tips of petals spreading
*pellucida ζ
Corolla of free or slightly fused petals, star-like
5
5
Lvs entire; hydathodes scattered over lamina surface, conspicuous
3. *multicava
Lvs crenulate; hydathodes confined to margins between teeth, inconspicuous
4. *spathulata
6
Petals united at base; at least some pedicels 5-10-(15) mm long at fruiting; scales ± broadly T-shaped, with length < to = width; seeds 4-10 per follicle
2. *decumbens
Petals free; pedicels < 7 mm long at fruiting or if longer then seeds > 10 per follicle; scales narrowly linear, oblanceolate, to ± rectangular, with length much > than width
7
7
Fls always solitary in the lf axils, conspicuous; petals spreading (corolla ± star-like), usually significantly > calyx lobes
8
Fls often in small clusters in the lf axils, sometimes solitary, inconspicuous; petals closely appressed to carpels or with spreading tips from slightly < to slightly > calyx lobes
14
8
Fls 4-6 mm diam.; lvs often > 7 × 2 mm; plants terrestrial
12 moschata
Fls 1.8-4 mm diam.; lvs < 7 × 1.6 mm, except sometimes when aquatic
9
9
Fls 1.8-2.5 mm diam.; petals acute or sharply acute
15 ruamahanga
Fls 2.8-4 mm diam.; petals subacute, obtuse or rounded
10
10
Petals rounded; lvs ± triangular-lanceolate, clustered at stem nodes
13 multicaulis
Petals obtuse or subacute; lvs linear to elliptic, if ± lanceolate then not triangular- lanceolate, usually opposite, occasionally clustered at stem nodes
11
11
Petals 1.3-1.4× calyx lobes
12
Petals 1.6-1.7× calyx lobes
13
12
Petals narrowly elliptic-ovate, with length c. 2× width; lvs 0.7-2.8 × 0.3-0.6 mm
8 hunua
Petals broadly elliptic-ovate, with length c. 1.7× width; lvs 2.3-7 × 0.7-1.6 mm
7. helmsii
13
Lvs obtuse, subacute or ± apiculate, 1.5-5.5 × 0.8-1.7 mm
9. kirkii
Lvs acute, 0.5-2 × 0.2-0.5 mm
17 sinclairii
14
Seeds > 10 per follicle; petals 4, obtuse or subacute, remaining closely appressed
14 peduncularis
Seeds 1-2 per follicle; petals 4-5, shortly acuminate to aristate, with spreading tips
15
15
Calyx lobes 5; petals 5; follicles with a cluster of tuberculate appendages on outer surface towards base
6. colorata
Calyx lobes 4; petals 4; follicles smooth
16
16
Fls solitary in lf axils; petals slightly < to slightly > calyx lobes
17
Fls in clusters in lf axils; petals < calyx lobes
18
17
Plant with dense moss-like habit; stems ascending 3-7-(10) mm towards apices; seeds 0.3-0.35 mm long
10. manaia
Plant forming small, rather loose clumps; stems ascending 10-20 mm towards apices; seeds 0.4-0.45 mm long
11. mataikona
18
Stems ± decumbent, ± fleshy, pink, sometimes rooting at nodes; calyx lobes acute to short-acuminate; pedicels to c. 2 mm long at fruiting
16 sieberiana
Stems ± erect, scarcely fleshy, usually bright red towards base, not rooting at nodes; calyx lobes short- to long-acuminate; pedicels usually 2-6 mm long at fruiting
18 tetramera

c. 170 spp., widespread in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions, especially southern Africa. Native spp. 13, naturalised 6.

As circumscribed here Crassula includes Rochea DC. and Tillaea L.  Allan (1961) treated the indigenous spp. under Tillaea, but these have now been transferred to Crassula [Druce, A. P. and Given, D. R., New Zealand J. Bot. 22: 583 (1984, publ. 1985); Druce, A. P. and Sykes, W. R., in Connor, H. E. and Edgar, E., ibid. 25 : 128 (1987)]. All the indigenous Crassula spp. are small, slender-stemmed herbs with very small, usually solitary and axillary 4-(5)-merous fls, and are thus very different to all the naturalised spp. except C. decumbens. In addition, many indigenous spp. inhabit moist or very wet places, especially around lakes and tarns where they are often submerged for part of the year.

A number of South African spp. other than those naturalised are commonly cultivated in warmer parts of N.Z. and sometimes long persist as cultivation relics, especially in old hillside gardens. The 3 most likely to occur are: C. arborescens (Miller) Willd., a much-branched shrub to c. 2 m high with punctate lvs and white or pinkish fls; C. muscosa L. var. muscosa (C. lycopodioides Lam.), very similar to a small whipcord Hebe, as well as superficially resembling Sedum liebmannianum (see below); C. perfoliata L. var. minor (Haw.) G. Rowley, nearly always known in horticulture as C. falcata H. A. Wendl., with large, thick, oblong-falcate lvs and dense, corymbose infls of numerous scarlet fls.

The treatment of naturalised Crassula is based on the studies of H. R. Tölken, particularly in Leistner, O. A. (Ed.) Fl. Southern Africa. 14, Crassulaceae (1985), and for the N.Z. spp. on unpublished data supplied by A. P. Druce.

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