Crassula sarmentosa Harv.

Species

Angiosperms > Saxifragales > Crassulaceae > Crassula

Characteristics

Perennials with irregularly shaped tubers at base of stem producing a number of branches up to 1 m long, sparsely branched mainly from base, scrambling or hanging from rock faces, with old leaves not deciduous. Leaves with or without petiole up to 15 mm long; lamina elliptic to ovate (usually ovate below inflorescence and elliptic towards base of branches), 20-40(-60) x 10-25(-35) mm, acute or acuminate, more or less abruptly constricted towards petiole, with entire or serrate margin, dorsiventrally flattened, green or yellowish green and often with red margin. Inflorescence a rounded to flat-topped thyrse with flowers spreading at about right angles to one another, with peduncle usually absent. Calyx: lobes linear-triangular, 1-3 mm long, sharply acute, glabrous, fleshy, green. Corolla star-shaped, scarcely fused at base, white or cream, rarely tinged red. Stamens with white to pink anthers. Squamae transversely oblong, 0.2-0.3 x 0.6-0.8 mm, scarcely emarginate, somewhat constricted downwards, fleshy, pale yellow or white.
More
Perennial succulent, scrambling or pendent from rock faces, 0.4-0.8 m long, sparsely branched from basal tubers, old leaves not deciduous, no adventitious roots at nodes. Leaves lower leaves elliptic, petioles 3 mm long; upper leaves sessile, ovate, 20-40 x 10-25 mm, acute or acuminate, constricted towards petiole, serrate, yellowish green tinged red along margins. Inflorescence a rounded to flat-topped thyrse; flowers spreading at right angles; peduncle absent. Calyx fleshy, glabrous, green. Corolla star-shaped, scarcely fused, white, rarely tinged red; lobes 3-4 mm long, pointed, spreading. Flowering time Mar., Apr.
Leaves 2-4·5(6) x 1·2-2·5(3·5) cm., ovate to elliptic, acute to acuminate at the apex, serrate at the margin with the teeth narrowly white-cartilaginous, the lower-ones petiolate, the uppermost subsessile and with axillary fascicles of minute leaves, flat, slightly fleshy, shining, green, sometimes tinged with red mainly the teeth, spreading; petiole usually not longer than 4 mm. somewhat thick, slightly connate at the base with the opposite one.
Stem up to 1 m. or more long, trailing or climbing, simple or loosely branched, terete, reddish or with elongate whitish spots, leafless towards the base, sparsely leafy upwards; internodes up to 10 cm. long, longer to subequalling the leaves.
Corolla (4) 6-8 mm. long white or ± tinged with red; petals c. 1·5 mm. wide, lanceolate, ± attenuate towards the ± acute apex, smooth, not dorsally mucronate below the apex, spreading, connate for c. 0·5 mm. at the base.
Calyx 1·75-2·5 mm. high, equalling 1/3-1/4 the length of the corolla; sepals c. 0·5 mm. wide at the base, lanceolate-linear, acute or obtusiuscule, entire, narrowly hyaline-margined, convex on the back, red or green.
Flowers 5-merous in terminal lax to ± dense paniculate inflorescences; peduncle terete, red; bracts lanceolate-linear, acute; pedicels 4-6 mm. long.
Stamens with filaments 1·25-4·5 mm. long and suborbicular or lanceolate anthers 0·5-0·75 mm. long, at level of 1/3-1/2 of the corolla.
Follicles c. 3 mm. long, very attenuate into the styles; styles 1·5-2·5 mm. long; stigmas at level of 3/4 of corolla length.
A sarmentose everywhere glabrous perennial.
Floral buds fusiform.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support climber free-standing
Foliage retention
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.5 - 1.0
Mature height (meter) 1.0 - 1.5
Root system adventitious-root
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway cam

Environment

Light 6-9
Soil humidity 1-6
Soil texture 7-9
Soil acidity 2-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 11-12

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity light
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Crassula sarmentosa unspecified picture

Distribution

Crassula sarmentosa world distribution map, present in Australia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:273465-1
WFO ID wfo-0000625441
COL ID Z7JK
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Septimia sarmentosa Crassula sarmentosa Crassula ovata Crassula sarmentosa var. sarmentosa

Lower taxons

Crassula sarmentosa var. integrifolia