Crassula alstonii

PLANTAE / PHANEROGAMAE / ANTHOPHYTA / SAXIFRAGALES / CRASSULACEAE / CRASSULOIDEAE / CRASSULA / ALSTONII

Crassula alstonii Marloth

LC Indigenous Endemic

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Morphological description

Perennials with short stems completely covered with closely adpressed leaves forming an almost spherical rosette 20-50 mm in diameter and with leaves apparently two ranked, rarely with few rosettes, with old leaves not deciduous. Leaves orbicular to transversely compressed-obovate, 6-10(-13) x (8-)12-20 mm, obtuse or rounded, almost flat above and slightly convex below, bent upwards, covered with stiff reflexed and adpressed hairs mainly on the exposed surfaces, grey-green. Inflorescence a rounded but often irregularly branched thyrse, with peduncle (8-)20-40 mm long and covered with recurved hairs. Calyx: lobes triangular, 1.5-2 mm long, acute, with recurved hairs and few marginal cilia, fleshy, yellowish green. Corolla tubular, fused basally for 0.5-0.8 mm, cream to pale yellow becoming brown; lobes oblong-lanceolate, 2.5-3 mm long, acuminate and without appendage, recurved. Stamens with yellow to brown anthers. Squamae oblong, 0.5-0.8 x 0.2-0.4 mm, truncate to slightly emarginate, more or less constricted downwards, fleshy, yellow. Flowering period. From: Toelken, HR. 1985. Crassulaceae. Fl. S. Africa 14: 1-229. [CC BY]

Perennial, with 1-few short branches closely hidden by leaves, forming spherical rosettes 20-50 mm diam. Leaves sessile, orbicular to broadly obovate, flat above and slightly swollen below, 6-10 x 12-20 mm, greyish, densely and stiffly adpressed-tomentose. Flowers in a few, dense, rounded heads on a tomentose peduncle 20-40 mm long, tubular, petals 2.5-3 mm long, fused in lower 0.8 mm, without a subterminal appendage, cream to pale yellow. From: Bruyns, PV. 2013. Crassulaceae. In: DA Snijman (ed.), Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 2: The Extra Cape flora. Strelitzia 30: 350-366. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]

Habitat

Growing on gentle slopes of low hills usually covered with quartzite gravel. From: Toelken, HR. 1985. Crassulaceae. Fl. S. Africa 14: 1-229. [CC BY]

Gentle slopes or flats among quartzitic or gneissic gravel. From: Bruyns, PV. 2013. Crassulaceae. In: DA Snijman (ed.), Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 2: The Extra Cape flora. Strelitzia 30: 350-366. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]

Distribution

Found in the north-western Cape Province south of Lekkersing to near Komaggas. From: Toelken, HR. 1985. Crassulaceae. Fl. S. Africa 14: 1-229. [CC BY]

Lekkersing to Umdaus and Komaggas. From: Bruyns, PV. 2013. Crassulaceae. In: DA Snijman (ed.), Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 2: The Extra Cape flora. Strelitzia 30: 350-366. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]

Flowering time

March to April

Altitude

300 to 800 m

Occurrence records map

This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations

iNaturalist: BODATSA: Data partners records:

Residence status

Occurrence in the Flora of Southern Africa (FSA) countries and South African provinces. Residence status indicates if a taxon is indigenous, endemic, naturalised or invasive in a specific region. This data is based on specimen records and literature

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