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Crassula hirtipes
Place in a sunny or semi-shaded location.
Water every few days after the substrate has dried out. Reduce watering in winter.
Can tolerate -1.1 °C in the short term. However, the plant is not hardy.
If you place the plant in full sun and in a drier environment, it will turn a beautiful red colour. The colouring is also affected by temperature differences during the day.
Crassula hirtipes, also known as Hedgehog Stonecrop, is a small succulent plant native to the Northern and Western Cape of South Africa. It grows on quartzite sandstone rocks, hidden in rock crevices on cliff faces, under rocks, or in other sheltered places. The name Crassula hystrix may also be encountered. The epithet "hirtipes" refers to "hirtus" - hairy and "pes" - leg. The name thus refers to the hairy flower stalk.
It has green to red-green leaves that are ovate to lance-shaped and curve backwards. They grow up to 2 cm long and 0.7 cm wide. The leaves are covered with short hairs. The plant forms spreading clumps up to 15 cm in diameter, consisting of many semi-upright to upright stems.
In late winter and early spring, cream to yellow tubular flowers appear in elongated racemes on hairy peduncles that grow up to 35 cm long.
The succulent is similar in appearance to Delosperma echinatum, which can also be found in our range. The miniature succulent turns a beautiful red colour in the sun and in dry conditions, leaving its hairy leaves to catch the eye of anyone who has the opportunity to observe the plant.