Crassula capitella aka Campfire Plant

Crassula capitella is a succulent, a plant that stores water. It belongs to the Crassulaceae family. Its English name is square-spiked crassula. It comes from southern Africa and takes several forms. It grows in South Africa and southern Namibia. Its range also covers parts of Botswana. South African records list Transvaal, Free State, and Eastern Cape. Kew puts it in the subtropical climate group. This range does not show how much garden frost it can bear.

Plants vary in shape and how long they live. Some are perennials: they live for more than two years. Their stems lie along the ground. These forms may grow few rosettes at their base. Others are biennials, with a two-year life span. They form a single low rosette. Kew calls the species a biennial or small shrub. LLIFLE calls it a succulent with some shrub-like growth. Plants in bloom can reach about 1.3 feet [0.4 metres] tall. The account gives no width for the species as a whole. It gives no separate height range for plants in gardens.

The leaves are narrow and pointed. They stack around the stem in a spiral or four rows. This gives the species rosettes of more than one shape. The account makes clear that these forms vary. It does not say that all plants form spreading mats. Nor does it give one leaf colour for the whole species. Some forms hold their leaves in a single rosette. Others have rosettes and stems that trail along the ground.

Small white flowers grow on a spike-like head in summer. Each rosette dies after it blooms. This does not mean that every plant is a biennial. The source includes both biennial and perennial forms in this species. LLIFLE lists three or four subspecies. Some doubt remains about where their limits lie. Botanists once classed some of these forms as separate species. Masson brought the plant to Europe in 1774.

The supplied species evidence gives no detailed guide to garden care. It sets no firm needs for light, soil, or water. It gives no hardiness zone or supported landscape use. The account gives no clear guide to pests or diseases. It does not say which parts people can eat. Nor does it establish use as medicine or toxic effects. These gaps do not mean the plant is safe to eat.