Jade plant | |
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A 40-year-old plant | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Saxifragales |
Family: | Crassulaceae |
Genus: | Crassula |
Species: | C. ovata |
Binomial name | |
Crassula ovata | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Crassula ovata, commonly known as jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or money tree, is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers that is native to the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, and Mozambique; it is common as a houseplant worldwide. [2] Much of its popularity stems from the low levels of care needed; the jade plant requires little water and can survive in most indoor conditions. It is sometimes referred to as the money tree; however, Pachira aquatica also has this nickname. [3]
The jade plant is an evergreen with thick branches. It has thick, shiny, smooth leaves that grow in opposing pairs along the branches. Leaves are a rich jade green, although some may appear to be more of a yellow-green. Some varieties may develop a red tinge on the edges of leaves when exposed to high levels of sunlight. New stem growth is the same colour and texture as the leaves, becoming woody and brown with age.[ citation needed ]
It grows as an upright, rounded, thick-stemmed, strongly branched shrub and reaches stature heights of up to 2.5 metres (8.2 ft). The base is usually sparsely branched. Sometimes a single main trunk of up to nine centimetres (3.5 in) in diameter is formed. The succulent shoots are gray-green. The bark of older branches peels off in horizontal, brownish stripes. Although becoming brown and appearing woody with age, stems never become true lignified tissue, remaining succulent and fleshy throughout the plant's life.
The oppositely arranged, ascending to spreading, green leaves are stalked with up to 5 millimetres short. The fleshy, bare, obovate, wedge-shaped leaf blade is three to nine centimetres (1.2 to 3.5 in) long and 1.8 to 4 centimetres (0.71 to 1.57 in). The sharp-edged leaf margins are often reddish.
Numerous varieties and cultivars have been selected, of which C. ovata 'Hummel's Sunset' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [4]
When it matures, it produces small white or pink, star-like shaped flowers in winter. The terminal inflorescence is a top round thyrsus with numerous dichasia. It has a length and a diameter of about 5 centimetres. The inflorescence stem has a length of 15 to 18 millimetres and a diameter of 2 millimetres. The flower stalks are 5 millimetres long. [5]
The sweet-scented, hermaphroditic flowers have radial symmetry and double perianths. The five sepals, each about 2 millimetres long, are fused to one another at the base. The pink or white flower crown is star-shaped and has a diameter of about 15 millimetres. Its lanceolate petals are 7 millimetres long and 2.5 millimetres wide. The stamens have a length of 5 millimetres. The combination of shorter days, cold nights and lack of water for several weeks will produce flowering around the beginning of winter.[ citation needed ]
As a succulent, Crassula ovata requires little water in the summer and even less in the winter. It is susceptible to overwatering, especially during the cold season. Watering excessively can cause leaf fall and root rot. However, a lack of water can also damage it. It should be grown in a porous substrate with good drainage, which will vary depending on the climate it is grown in. It requires four to six hours of direct sun or medium shade exposures with bright light per day. In regions with mild weather it can withstand some light frost provided that the substrate is kept dry. [6]
C. ovata may display a red tinge around its leaves when grown in bright sunlight. In more extreme cases the green colour of the plant is lost and may be replaced by yellow. This is caused by the jade plant making pigments such as carotenoids to protect it from harsh sunlight and ultraviolet rays. The plant also flowers in the winter, particularly during a cooler, darker, dry spell. C. ovata is sometimes attacked by mealybugs, a common nuisance of the succulents.
The jade plant is also known for its ease of propagation, which can be carried out with clippings or even stray leaves that fall from the plant. Jade plants may readily be propagated from both with success rates higher than with cuttings. In the wild, vegetative propagation is the jade plant's main method of reproduction. Branches regularly fall off and may root and form new plants.[ citation needed ]
Like many succulents jade plants can be propagated from just the swollen leaves, which grow in pairs on the stems. Whilst propagation methods may vary, most follow similar steps. Typically the wounds on the leaves are left to dry and callus over. Then the leaves are placed in or on soil. Roots begin to grow on severed leaves about four weeks after being removed from the stem. Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity affect the speed at which the roots and new plants develop. Foliage usually appears soon after new roots have formed. [7]
Scale insects are common pests of Crassula ovata and can cause deformation of the plant during growth. An infestation can be eliminated by killing each insect with a cotton bud or brush that has been soaked in rubbing alcohol. This process is repeated daily until all mealybugs have been killed, as well as new insects that may still hatch after the mealybugs living on the plant have been killed. Aphids are also common pests, but they tend to infest the stems of flowers. Spider mites can also cause problems. Exposure to sap or leaves can cause dermatitis in humans. [5]
Some sources claim that some species from the Crassulaceae family, including the jade plant, are toxic to horses, cats and dogs, as well as mildly toxic to humans with skin contact, but such claims remain unproven. Crassula ovata is known to be used as medicinal plant in some regions. [8] [9]
The following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-
Crassula is a genus of succulent plants containing about 200 accepted species, including the popular jade plant. They are members of the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae) and are native to many parts of the globe, but cultivated varieties originate almost exclusively from species from the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Cleistocactus strausii, the silver torch or wooly torch, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Cactaceae. It is native to mountainous regions of Department Tarija, Bolivia, at 1,500–3,000 m (4,921–9,843 ft).
Elymus repens, commonly known as couch grass, is a very common perennial species of grass native to most of Europe, Asia, the Arctic biome, and northwest Africa. It has been brought into other mild northern climates for forage or erosion control, but is often considered a weed.
Hoya carnosa, the porcelainflower or wax plant, is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family Apocynaceae. It is one of the many species of Hoya that are native to Eastern Asia. It is a common house plant grown for its attractive waxy foliage, and sweetly scented flowers. It is grown well in pots and hanging baskets.
Dasylirion wheeleri is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), native to arid environments of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Aeonium arboreum, the tree aeonium, tree houseleek, or Irish rose, is a succulent, subtropical subshrub in the flowering plant family Crassulaceae.
Crassula helmsii, known as swamp stonecrop or New Zealand pigmyweed, is an aquatic or semiterrestrial species of succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae. Originally found in Australia and New Zealand, it has been introduced around the world. In the United Kingdom, this plant is one of five introduced invasive aquatic plants that were banned from sale from April 2014, the first ban of its kind in the country. It is on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility's Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species of eleven countries.
Aeonium haworthii, also known as Haworth's aeonium or pinwheel, is a species of succulent flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae. It is grown as a houseplant in temperate regions. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, as has the cultivar 'Variegatum'.
Crassula tetragona is a succulent plant native to Southern Africa. It is widely distributed from the Orange River boundary of Namaqualand to beyond the Kei River in the Eastern Cape. "Tetragona" comes from the phyllotaxy of the leaves. It is popularly named the "miniature pine tree" among ornamental plant enthusiasts, for its popular use as a "pine tree" in Bonsai.
Aeonium tabuliforme, the flat-topped aeonium or saucer plant, is a species of succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae, native and endemic to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It is low-growing, typically reaching about 5 cm high but up to 45 cm in diameter. It grows on moist, north-facing cliffs and ledges at low altitude. A mass of fleshy, hairy, bright green leaves in flat rosettes is produced on short unbranched stems, often on vertical surfaces. This species is short-lived and dies after flowering. Plants often take 3–4 years to flower, at which point they produce a tall (40–60 cm) raceme of yellow flowers.
Portulacaria afra is a small-leaved succulent plant found in South Africa. These succulents commonly have a reddish stem and leaves that are green, but also a variegated cultivar is often seen in cultivation. They are simple to care for and make easy houseplants for a sunny location. In frost-free regions they may be used in outdoor landscaping.
Echeveria agavoides, or lipstick echeveria, is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae, native to rocky areas of Mexico, notably the states of San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Guanajuato and Durango.
Crassula marnierana, common name Jade Necklace or Chinese Pagoda, is a species of succulent flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae.
Begonia foliosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Begoniaceae, native to Colombia and Venezuela. It is a shrublike begonia growing to 1 metre (3.3 ft), bearing succulent, pendent stems 45 centimetres (18 in) long, thickly clothed with glossy oval green leaves, and producing panicles of small white flowers. The variety commonly cultivated is B. foliosa var. miniata with pink or red flowers. As it does not tolerate temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F), in temperate regions it requires winter protection.
Crassula capitella, is a perennial succulent plant native to southern Africa.
Crassula nudicaulis is a succulent plant native to South Africa, and Lesotho.
Crassula sarcocaulis is a small shrubby succulent plant known by the common name bonsai crassula, due to its bonsai-like appearance. It is a perennial plant native to the southern and southeastern Africa, ranging from Malawi and Mozambique through Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, and South Africa. It grows on mountain slopes in rocky terrain.
Crassula subaphylla is a succulent plant belonging to the family Crassulaceae. It is widespread in the Karoo regions of South Africa and Namibia.
Crassula atropurpurea is a succulent plant, very common and widespread in the southern Karoo regions of South Africa and Namibia.
Crassula perfoliata is the type species of the genus Crassula, in the flowering plant family Crassulaceae, where it is placed in the subfamily Crassuloideae. It was first formally described by Linnaeus in 1753 as one of 10 species of Crassula. It is native to South Africa, Mozambique, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe.