Crassula volkensii

Crassula volkensii belongs to the plant family Crassulaceae. It is a succulent subshrub: a small shrub that stores water. Kew’s checklist gives its native range as Somalia to northern Tanzania. This is the range where Kew lists it as native. The RHS says it is not native to Britain or Ireland. These records give its native range and family. They do not give a full account of the plant.

Kew links the species with desert or dry shrubland. Its record gives both parts of its growth form. It lists succulent growth and a subshrub habit. The supplied sources do not say how tall it grows. Nor do they say how wide it spreads. They give no details of this species’ stems or leaves. The growth form alone does not fill those gaps. It cannot tell us the plant’s size or leaf shape.

The RHS page lists the name but leaves its status unresolved. In other words, that page does not settle its status. The page also has an account of leaves and flowers. But that account covers the genus, not this one species. It does not show what this species’ leaves look like. Nor does it show what its flowers look like. It gives no firm basis for stating when this species blooms. The supplied text does not describe its fruit, either.

The habitat record tells us about the plant’s wild setting. It is not a tested guide to garden care. The supplied sources give no set advice on light needs. They do not say how much to water this species. They give no soil advice or guidance on hardiness. A link to dry land does not supply those details. The record thus leaves these points of garden care open. It also gives no uses for this species in gardens.

The supplied sources give no account of its pests or diseases. They also do not say which parts, if any, people can eat. They do not state whether this plant is toxic. Both its food use and its risk of harm remain unknown here. This lack of facts does not show that it is safe.