Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Arid shrubland
Range: Southern Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Rare

About

This succulent grows in rocky crevices across the mountains of South Africa. Its leaves are covered in tiny, stiff hairs that trap morning dew to hydrate the roots.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Crassula
Species: Crassula mesembryanthoides