JELLY BEAN - STONECROP: Crassulaceae Sedum Rubrotinctum

Okay, so I had a rotten day today. I hate living in the apartment I've lived in for way too many years, they raised my rent a 100 bucks effective March 1st, and on top of it all, the hot water was out this weekend. I appeased myself with many entries on this Blogger and the planting of many plants. I couldn't bring myself to express my problems while in the midst of it all.

Anyway, on the ride home from work I picked myself up a little something to make me feel better; a Stonecrop, of the Crassulaeceae family. This is a real fun plant to look at!

Here are some of the scientific details:

Family: Crassulaceae (krass-yoo-LAY-see-ay)
Genus: Sedum (SEE-dum) meaning to sit or sedentary
Species: rubrotinctum (roo-broh-TINK-tum) meaning red dyed from the sun and pachyphyllum (pak-ee-FIL-um) meaning it has thick/fat leaves
Common Name: Stonecrop - Pork and Beans - Jelly Bean Plant
Min Temp: to 25 degrees F
Bloom: A variety of colors- Late Summer to Early Winter
USDA Zone: Zone 9-10
Exposure: Part Shade to Full Sun
Height: 6-8 inches tall
Origin: Mexico

Here are some details from The Cactus Collection:

"Easy to grow group of succulents with diverse form and color. Closely related to Echeverias. Some are like brightly colored jelly beans; others are tiny mat-forming ground covers. Most are cold tolerant, some very cold hardy. Water thoroughly when soil is dry to the touch. Require bright light."

This plant has two species attached to it, so I listed them both. I also read that they have a variety of flower colors, which I can't swear to, as I'm finding there are a lot of descrepancies out there. I'll adjust this as I find out more information.

Written: 2/4/08

WATCH CHAIN: Crassula muscosa

This nifty plant is called "Watch Chain," that I purchased recently. I picked it up at the California Cactus Center in Pasadena, California. I really don't have a whole lot to say about it right now, so I'll just get to the details!

Family: Crassulaceae (krass-yoo-LAY-see-ay)
Genus: Crassula (KRASS-oo-la)
Species: Muscosa (muss-KOH-suh) - meaning mossy and lycopodioides (ly-kop-oh-dee-OY-dees), which I read comes from the word lycopodium a genus of clubmosses, also known as ground pines.
Common Name: Watch Chain
Min Temp: to 32 degrees
Bloom: Bright YellowWhite/Near White - Late Summer to Early Winter
USDA Zone: Zone 10
Exposure: Bright Light
Origin: South Africa

A note on the species: I came across two different species, as you see above, but I think they both work. Can you have two species? I have no idea, but here you go anyway!

Here is what The Cactus Collection had to say about it:

"Crassula lycopodioides, native to Africa, forms spreading clusters of slender stems with densely stacked tiny leaves. Leaves are pointed, light green in color and arranged along the stems like scales. Known as the "Watch Chain". In habitat, Crassulas usually grow in rocky quartz fields.. Bright, filtered light and ample airflow. Water thoroughly when soil is dry to the touch. Water with caution in winter, as the plant can lose its roots if the soil stays cold and wet for extended periods. Protect from frost to prevent scarring."

MORGAN'S BEAUTY: Crassula falcata

Now for some more of my plants: Here's is Morgan's Beauty. I picked it up at the California Cactus Center in Pasadena, California. It's a real beauty. It's flowers are still going strong even after having it for at least a couple of weeks.

Here are some of the details:

Family: Crassulaceae (krass-yoo-LAY-see-ay)
Genus: Crassula (KRASS-oo-la)
Species: Falcata (fal-KAY-tuh) - meaning sickle-shaped
Common Name: Morgan's Beauty
Min Temp: to 32 degrees F
Bloom: Pink blooms - Late Winter/Early Spring/Mid Winter
USDA Zone: Zone 10
Exposure: Bright Light

That's all I have on it for now!

MORE ON BEAR PAWS: A.K.A. "Kitten Paws"

I was surfing last night, while "enjoying" my neighbor's fabulous music, and I stumbled across a really great photograph of the Bear Paw plant that my friend Donna and I picked up yesterday! (She found two at Lowe's)! Anyway, this came from a website called: Daylily Hill, which I will add to my links on the lower-left of this page. Please check out their article on Bear Paws:

http://www.daylilyhill.com/subsublevel.php?id=411&lid=12

It's a great website! Lots of information on plants. I've included the link to this page, so please stop on over and check out what they have to say about what they call "Kitten Paws!" I guess it sort of looks like kitten paws, but if I had to choose one over the other, I would definitely lean towards calling them "bear" paws. I'm super impressed with the dark brown tips! I'm really hoping mine grows up to look just like this! It's pretty short and stubby. You know, I think I know why some plants have less leaves that are spread out and some are short and closely clustered like the one above; I think it's what I read about how when succulents do not receive enough light, they sort of spread out to draw in as much as they can. It makes sense that a plant receiving the perfect amount of sunlight and nutrients would be much more lush, robust and healthy, while others have to work harder to get what they need. I'm hoping for what I see above.

I stumbled upon the following government website:

http://www.usbg.gov/plant-collections/conservation/Cotyledon-tomentosa-subspecies-ladismithiensis.cfm.

Apparently, our beloved Bear Paw scientifically called "Cotyledon tomentosa ssp. ladismithiensis" is on the "rare and endangered plant" list. I need to check and see if any of the others that Donna and I are collecting are on it too!

The photo above belongs to the government conservation website mentioned above. It tells us that our Bear Paw does indeed flower. I can't make out the color of the flowers from this photo, but I read on one website that they come out as bronze/brown, and I know I read some where that the flowers weren't very showy. They bloom during mid-Fall.

Then I started digging around and I found the following picture of a Bear Paw succulent:

Okay, so does this look anything like my plant??? Not really! You can see the somewhat similar shape, but the color is competely different. It does, however, give a good example of the bronze colored flowers though. I did read that the color of the plant leaves can be blue-green, but my plants leans more towards looking like the government photo in the middle rather than this one which I found here:

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Crassulaceae/Cotyledon_tomentosa.html.

What do you think?

PLUSH PLANT: Echeveria Harmsii

And here's the last plant that I got today. It's commonly called a "Plush Plant." It's so pretty. Actually, my friend Donna gave me a cutting from her Plush Plant, so this would make three. I lucked out and this came with two plants growing in the pot! I'm trying to decide whether or not I should go pick up a bag of perlite to make the soil a little bit better for my plants. I bought a bag of soil specifically for cactus and succulents, but it doesn't look all that much different from regular planting soil! It still has some pieces of wood in it and there isn't that much perlite. My friend Donna had the same problem; her soil was from a different maker, but it looked much like regular potting soil too! Go figure.

Anyway, here's the details on my plant:

Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Echeveria (ech-eh-VER-ee-a)
Species Variety: Harmsii
Common Name: Plush Plant

Exposure: Bright Light/Sun
Height: To 12" Tall
Bloom: Winter/Summer
Hardy to: 32 Degrees
Water: When dry

Here is a description of my plant:

"Shrubby Echeveria. Native habitat Mexico. Called the "plush plant" because of soft, fuzzy leaves that are covered with silvery hairs. Requires bright light. Leaves blush beautiful rose in cold weather or in drought. Humming birds love bell-shaped orange flowers. Water thoroughly when soil is dry. Protect from frost."

By the way, this plant is related to my Green Goddess, which is a hybrid of this plant, and that I bought at the same time as this. I didn't know this until I got home and did this Blog. Pretty neat!

FINGER JADE: Crassulaceae Ovata Gollum

Okay, so here is the next succulent plant I purchased, commonly called a "Finger Jade." I like it because it's unusual. In fact, that's what makes collecting succulents so much fun; they're so unusual, almost alien like, plus the fact their inexpensive to buy! I can't believe how many breeds there are! Anyway, here's the details I have on it:


Family: Crassulaceae (krass-yoo-LAY-see-ay)
Genus: Crassula (KRASS-oo-la)
Species: Ovata (oh-VAY-tuh) meaning egg-shaped, (doesn't look like an egg to me, maybe the tip)?
Common Name: Finger Jade, Money Tree, Dollar Plant & Jade Tree
Exposure: Bright Light/Sun
Height: To 4 feet Plus Tall!
Bloom: Fall/Winter
Hardy to: 32 degrees
Water: When Dry



And here are some more details on this plant: "A monstrose form of Jade. This cultivar has fascinating tubular green leaves fluted at the tips and blushed beautifully with rose red in cold or drought. Excellent for windowsills patios and landscapes as well. Use porous soil, and water thoroughly when soil is dry to the touch. Protect from frost.

Check this plant out as a full-grown tree:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/4282/