Crassula pubescens aka Jersey Pigmyweed

Crassula pubescens is a small, long-lived succulent with partly woody stems. It belongs to the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae. Jersey pigmyweed is one English name for this species. It comes from South Africa's southern Cape region. LLIFLE places it in the Western Cape. Kew records its habitat as desert or dry shrubland. In the wild, it grows among shrubs and beneath lightly shaded trees.

The plant forms dense groups of closely branched stems. It reaches about 1 foot [0.3 metres] in height. Some plants reach roughly 2.3 feet [0.7 metres]. Stems may lie along the ground or stand upright. The young branches are fleshy, fragile, and green to reddish green. Older branches turn woody and take on grey-brown tones. The roots are fibrous. The species account describes stems without adventitious roots. These are roots that arise away from the main root system.

The plant sheds its leaves rather than keeping them year-round. Leaves often gather in rosettes near the base. Most widen toward the tip, though their shapes vary. Some are long and narrow; others are broader or oval. Their tips may be blunt or pointed. The upper face can be flat, slightly rounded, or grooved. The lower face curves outward. Fine hairs line the leaf edges. Hair cover varies from sparse to dense and felt-like. Some plants look almost hairless, while others have a greyish cast. Leaf colour ranges from green to brown. Dry, bright summer weather can turn the foliage red.

Flowers appear through winter and spring, sometimes lasting for months. They have a scent and range from white to cream or pale yellow. Upright flower stems carry rounded or slightly stretched clusters. The clusters form a thyrse, a branched type of flower head. Small bracts sit below the flowers. Each flower has fleshy green sepals around a narrow corolla. The petals join at the base to form a short tube. Small rounded appendages sit near their tips. The anthers are yellow.

LLIFLE suggests this species as ground cover where winters are mild. Its low form, close growth, and changing leaf colour offer garden interest. The supplied species sources give no firm frost limit. They also give no detailed soil, watering, or feeding guidance. They do not establish its edibility or safety for pets or people. The evidence gives no species-level account of fruit, pests, or diseases.