Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) on 7-12-14, #231-42.
Jade Plant
Crassula ovata
KRASS-oo-la oh-VAY-tuh
Synonyms of Crassula ovata (9) (Updated on 12-14-23 from Plants of the World Online): Cotyledon lutea Lam., Cotyledon ovata Mill., Crassula argentea Thunb., Crassula articulata Zuccagni, Crassula lucens Gram, Crassula nitida Schönland, Crassula obliqua Aiton, Crassula portulacea Lam., Toelkenia ovata (Mill.) P.V.Heath
Crassula ovata (Mill.) Druce is the accepted scientific name of this species of Crassula. It was named and described as such by George Claridge Druce in the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles in 1917. It was FIRST documented as Cotyledon ovata by Philip Miller in Gardener’s Dictionary, 8th Edition, in 1768.
The genus, Crassula L., was named and described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.
As of 12-14-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 211 species in the Crassula genus. It is a member of the plant family Crassulaceae with 36 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.
THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
The larger of the two Crassula ovata cuttings on 5-1-09, #12-43.
This plant and I had a long history. When I was working for Dr. Suzanne Skinner in Carson, California there were many yards with beautiful plants. Some were Jade Plants, Crassula ovata. Around the corner from her home was a home with 6′ tall Jade plants on both sides of their yard. One evening in mid-December, Suzanne had an appointment in a nearby suburb in an office building with 15-20′ tall Jade Plants all along the wall. There was a bare spot where one had been removed for some reason. In this bare spot was a branch list lying there, so I took a couple of cuttings. We left for Mississippi a few days later and I brought these two cuttings with me in a ziplock bag in my suitcase. Not knowing any better at the time, I put the cuttings in a glass of water. Strangely enough, they rooted and didn’t rot.
The smaller of the two Crassula ovata cuttings on 12-20-09.
One of the cuttings was a little smaller and just stayed small while the larger one took off like its life depended on it. It had an occasional brown scale, but I just picked them off with my fingernail or sometimes removed the entire leaf.
Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) on 5-10-10, #55-31.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Crassulaceae
Origin: Africa
Zones: USDA zones 11-12
Height: Many websites have different sizes of this species, typically 3-6’. However, I know for a fact they can grow MUCH taller because my cuttings, as I mentioned, came from a plant that was around 15’-20’ tall. They usually don’t grow much taller than 30-36” in a pot.
Light: Part shade
Water: Medium. I watered my plant just like all my other potted plants during the summer months. They shouldn’t be given much water in the winter and will tell you when they want it. Their leaves start to shrivel, making them look a little wrinkled.
Flowers: White to pink in the spring. Mine never flowered, and potted specimens apparently rarely do.
The Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) at 10″ tall x 9″ wide on 9-15-10, #59-25.
Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) at 12″ tall x 18″ wide on 8-1-11, #68-26.
Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) on 6-11-12, #99-36.
Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) in the east sunroom at the mansion in Mississippi on 11-22-12, #130-11.
This photo was taken of the Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) in the mansion on 2-17-13, #139-29.
During the cooler months, I kept it in the sunroom and when the temps were warm during the winter I moved it to the front porch. Then in the spring, it was moved back outside in the backyard again.
<<<<2013 IN MISSOURI>>>>
The Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) in my bedroom in Missouri on 4-16-13, #143-6. It measures 15 1/2″ tall x 19 1/2″ wide.
When I moved to Missouri in February 2013 I brought it with me. It stayed in my bedroom over the winter. Many of the plants I brought with me had to stay in the basement until warmer weather came.
The Crassula ovata was happy to be outside on 6-1-13, #151-31. In this photo, it measures 15 1/2″ tall x 21 1/2″ wide.
I have read where these plants can get mealybugs and spider mites. I never had any problem with them, but it did have brown scale. I would just pick them off with my fingernail.
The Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) on 10-7-13, #193-41.
The Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) back inside for the winter again on 12-7-13, #208-26.
<<<<2014>>>>
The last photo of my Crassula ovata (Jade Plant) on 7-12-14, #231-42.
Along with most of my other plants, I gave this one up in the summer of 2014. How am I going to replace this plant? I feel like if I ever have another Crassula ovata, it will never be like this one because the sentimental value alone is something that can’t be replaced. I followed someone’s advice when I shouldn’t have and that will NOT happen again… I am not saying that I won’t give up my plants again because that could happen. But, there will be a MUCH better reason with a brighter future ahead. Well, I can’t go back and change what has been done. I will just look forward to the day when I have a new Crassula ovata. Maybe I can slip off to that office building in California and take another cutting.
I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant.
The Belmont Rooster 