About Crassula rubricaulis Eckl. & Zeyh.
Crassula rubricaulis Eckl. & Zeyh. is identifiable by its fleshy, succulent leaves that are at least 2 mm thick. The leaves are smooth, sessile, and egg-shaped, with the narrowest portion attached to the stem. They have bright red margins that normally bear a faint line of hairs, though these hairs usually fall off near the leaf tip. This species grows as a small, rounded, branching perennial shrub that reaches 30 to 50 cm in height. It has smooth red-brown stems; the specific epithet "rubricaulis" means "red-stemmed". Its hard, brittle branches will root if they lie against the ground. It produces many white, star-shaped flowers in mid to late Summer. It is a close relative of Crassula dejecta, now classified as Crassula undulata, which also grows in the mountains of the south western Cape. The Red-stem Crassula is distributed around the Riviersonderend and Langeberg mountains in the west, in coastal rocky mountain shrub around Knysna, and extends east as far as Port Elizabeth.
