Habitat:
C. pellucida ssp. marginalis is native to the Cape Provinces, where the plant grows in moist, shady places under rocks or forests.
Description:
C. pellucida is a perennial succulent belonging to the botanical family Crassulaceae. The plant is heavily branched and has a prostrate habit. The leaves are small, fleshy, heart-shaped with a pointed apex, arranged along all branches and may be fused in pairs to form a disc. Leaf color can change from creamy yellow to pinkish and from pale green to reddish purple depending on weather conditions such as temperatures and exposure.
Flowering occurs from late summer to early autumn and the flowers are born at the apex of the branches. The flowers are small, star-shaped and creamy white in color.
Variegation is due to the loss of the ability to produce chlorophyll in some plant tissues, causing this tissue to stop being green. Chlorophyll-free tissues are usually white or pale yellow (due to carotenoid pigments) in contrast to normal green tissue. This plant is perfect for decorations and hanging pots.
Cultivation:
The plant has a slow growth rate but is easy to grow. The best sun exposure is in bright places, but it is recommended to avoid direct sunlight in the hottest periods. The minimum temperatures that the plant can withstand are 7°C, below this temperature it starts to suffer so it needs to be placed indoors in the coldest periods.
Regarding fertilization, for this plant it is enough to fertilize moderately during the growing season with specific fertilizers for succulents and stop fertilizing during the winter.
You should replant the plant every 2 years in a 2 cm wide pot. Repotting should be done early in the growing season with new potting soil.
Be careful with red spiders and mealybugs.
Curiosity:
Its name comes from the Latin crassus, which means fat. Crassula is an unpretentious plant, but with great vegetative power: for this reason, it is sometimes used in a closed area to purify the air, which is filtered by eliminating harmful substances.