Crassula barklyi

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Crassula barklyi is one of the more curious members of the stacking-leaf Crassulas, a group with a surprisingly wide range of forms for such a distinctive growth habit. This specie s is among the smallest and most compact, each pair of leaves clasping so tightly over the last that the stem takes on the look of a rattlesnake’s tail, a common name of doubtful authenticity that appears from time to time in print. In time, offsets emerge from the base to form a tidy stand of miniature towers, seldom more than a few inches tall. In its Namaqualand home, it grows between orange quartz pebbles and from cracks in steep, angled boulders. From a distance, it can be mistaken for the many Conophytum species that share its range. Despite its company among some of the more temperamental winter growers, C. barklyi proves accommodating in cultivation, asking little more than the ordinary care given to its commoner kin and their hybrids. Show more