AusBonsai

This was given to me by my Father in Law, before he went and did the "Grey nomad" thing. Can anyone ID it for me, Please.

Crassula arborescens,

Cheers Pup

Sorry about the pic, who knows what went wrong...

I would have thought it a Crassula Ovata Pup? I read that the tips go red like that when they're kept in full sun or get a bit stressed.

Have a few cuttings of this myself as I loved the colour in the leaves they take from cuttings REALLY easily, I took 3 or 4 from my dad's place and accidently dropped one on the way out. Came back a few weeks later to find it had rooted, with no water, in the sand next to the driveway



Why they go red: http://www.gardeninggonewild.com/?p=17919

Jason I am not familier with ovata, however the description for arborescens is as follows. So you will see why I said that.

Common name silver jade plant.
A native of Natal South Africa it prefers a rich sandy soil in a protected partially shaded position,and is drought and frost resistant.
An evergreen plant grows to 4 metres with a spread of 2 metres.
The stem is stout and erect and branching, the leaves are fleshy ,pale green, flat and rounded, with red margins; the flowers are white turning pink, occurring in cymes and appearing in summer.

So you can see where I am coming from ( quotes from Encyclopedia Botanica ). C, ovata is not mentioned in this book, so I cannot refer to that plant.

Cheers Pup

Pup wrote:Jason I am not familier with ovata, however the description for arborescens is as follows. So you will see why I said that.

Common name silver jade plant.
A native of Natal South Africa it prefers a rich sandy soil in a protected partially shaded position,and is drought and frost resistant.
An evergreen plant grows to 4 metres with a spread of 2 metres.
The stem is stout and erect and branching, the leaves are fleshy ,pale green, flat and rounded, with red margins; the flowers are white turning pink, occurring in cymes and appearing in summer.

So you can see where I am coming from ( quotes from Encyclopedia Botanica ). C, ovata is not mentioned in this book, so I cannot refer to that plant.

Cheers Pup

Thanks for that Pup, appreciate the explanation seems to fit actually, so can understand where you're coming from. Only reason I thought it might be the Ovata is because I've seen a few around the neighbourhood, and this one looked similar to the one at my old man's


This is what I saw on Wikipedia... granted its not as precise as Encyclopedia Botanica

(have just copied the relevant parts)
The jade plant is an evergreen with thick branches and 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 color and texture as the leaves, but becomes brown and woody with age. Under the right conditions, they may produce small white or pink star-like flowers in early spring.

Crassula ovata is famous for garnishing a red tinge around its leaves when grown with bright sunlight.The jade plant is also known for its ease of propagation, which can be spurred by clippings or even stray leaves which fall from the plant. Crassula ovata is sometimes attacked by mealybugs, a common nuisance of the succulents.


Explains how my cutting took on the driveway too strange that it stayed free of mealy bug though as I had a massive attack at home

So this tree needs to be repotted and cut back a bit. Question is, Where to cut the branches back too

Raymond wrote:So this tree needs to be repotted and cut back a bit. Question is, Where to cut the branches back too

I'd say it's got a good shape/structure to it already, just trim to maintain shape and rub off new shoots on the trunk

I always thought these types of plants were ugly and horrible, but this one has really proven me wrong! This really works well, even though my mind says it shouldn't!

Yes it looks like a Jade and a very nice specimen too. But mine - bought for 3 dollars from the ADBS in 2010. Kept inside. Then 2013 winter, I brought in my big Zygoes, and it sat there without being watered for months, hidden behind one. I took it outside, not repotted since it was bought. There was hardly any leaves, and now being recovered, it is or looks like an octopus, a full cascade, and grown more leaves. So they must be hardy eh? They do produce pink flowers I have read. Or do they mean the red tips are the flowers?

This is Crassula ovata, NOT C. arborescens which has silver foliage. You are correct Jason.

Love that, the colour looks great and really suits the pot. Now I think it's inspired me to dig up a couple I've got growing the my garden!