Crassula ovata: Country Or Region Of Origin
South Africa
Plant Profile: Crassula ovata
Taxonomy: Crassula ovataNames
Baby Jade, Chinese rubber plant, Dwarf rubber plant, Jade Plant, Jade tree, Japanese rubber plant
Phonetic Spelling:KRASS-oo-la oh-VAY-tuh
Genus:Crassula
Species:ovata
Family:Crassulaceae
The jade plant, known scientifically as "Crassula ovata," is a popular succulent houseplant characterized by its broadleaf evergreen nature. The term "ovata" translates to egg-shaped, which aptly describes its thick, fleshy leaves.
For optimal growth, it’s best to plant the jade in well-draining potting soil rich in loam and position it in a bright, sunny spot indoors. This plant does not thrive in humid conditions and prefers drier soil, so it's crucial to avoid overwatering, as excess moisture can lead to root rot in poorly drained soil. Due to its small root system, a larger pot is unnecessary. Adequate bright light and moderate to cool indoor temperatures are vital for maintaining the plant's health. Typically, jade plants do not flower in indoor settings, and they can be easily propagated through leaf cuttings.
**Quick Identification Tips:**
Crassula ovata Feature Summary
Tags
#evergreen
#houseplant
#drought tolerant
#perennial
#shrub
#succulent
#pink flowers
#broadleaf evergreen
#interiorscape
#fantz
#problem for cats
#problem for dogs
#problem for horses
#tropical feel
#container plants
Similar Plants
Crassula ovata is often confused with:
Crassula ovata Feature Summary
Attributes
South Africa
Perennial
Stem Cutting
Leaf Cutting
Fruit
Pollinated flowers produce a small capsule filled with seed.
Capsule
Insignificant
Flowers
This plant rarely blooms as a houseplant but can form a 2-3 branched cyme with white flowers tinged with pink. They have 4-5 petals that are fused at the base and purple anthers. This plant has abundant terminal clusters of small white flowers following the development of pink sepal covered flower buds.
Pink
White
4-5 petals/rays
Colored Sepals
Star
< 1 inch
Leaves
The 1 to 3½ inches long and ¾ to 1½ inches wide oval leaves are thick, fleshy, and shiny. They are mid to dark green, stemless and the margins will acquire a red tint in direct sun. The leaves have scattered sunken stomata and tend to be clustered at the ends of the branches. This plant has succulent, flattened, obovate leaves on thick, brittle, succulent stems. Leaves are simple and nearly sessile.
Broadleaf Evergreen
Green
Red/Burgundy
Simple
Opposite
Obovate
Orbicular
Obtuse
Cuneate
Entire
1-3 inches
Glossy
Fleshy
Showy
Long-lasting
< 1 inch
Bark
The bark is woody, peeling with distinct rings called stipular scars.
Light Gray
Dark Brown
Light Brown
Peeling
Stem
Branched, fleshy, and thick with distinct rings around the stem. New growth is green or reddish-brown while older growth has a more grey color. Stays a similar diameter the entire length of the stem.
Brown/Copper
Green
Red/Burgundy
Gray/Silver
Round
Smooth (glabrous)
Straight
Poisonous to Humans
Vomiting, depression, incoordination
Unknown
Whole Plant Traits
Shrub
Houseplant
Succulent
Broadleaf Evergreen
Multi-stemmed
Erect
Spreading
Medium
Low
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Good Drainage
Occasionally Dry
Very Dry
3 feet-6 feet
12 inches-3 feet
11a
11b
12a
12b
Loam (Silt)
Landscape
Drought
Dry Soil
Container
Houseplants
Problem for Cats
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Crassula ovata Image Gallery
Crassula ovata Attributes
Crassula ovata: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Crassula ovata: Recommended Propagation Strategy
Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting
Crassula ovata Fruit
Crassula ovata: Fruit Description
Pollinated flowers produce a small capsule filled with seed.
Crassula ovata: Fruit Type
Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua
Crassula ovata: Fruit Color
Insignificant
Crassula ovata Flowers
Crassula ovata: Flower Description
This plant rarely blooms as a houseplant but can form a 2-3 branched cyme with white flowers tinged with pink. They have 4-5 petals that are fused at the base and purple anthers. This plant has abundant terminal clusters of small white flowers following the development of pink sepal covered flower buds.
Crassula ovata: Flower Color
Pink
White
Crassula ovata: Flower Inflorescence
Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel
Crassula ovata: Flower Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Crassula ovata: Flower Petals
2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals
Crassula ovata: Flower Shape
Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel
Crassula ovata: Flower Size
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches
Crassula ovata Leaves
Crassula ovata: Leaf Description
The 1 to 3½ inches long and ¾ to 1½ inches wide oval leaves are thick, fleshy, and shiny. They are mid to dark green, stemless and the margins will acquire a red tint in direct sun. The leaves have scattered sunken stomata and tend to be clustered at the ends of the branches. This plant has succulent, flattened, obovate leaves on thick, brittle, succulent stems. Leaves are simple and nearly sessile.
Crassula ovata: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Crassula ovata: Leaf Color
Green
Red/Burgundy
Crassula ovata: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Crassula ovata: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Crassula ovata: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Crassula ovata: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Crassula ovata: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Crassula ovata: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Crassula ovata: Leaf Feel
Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy
Crassula ovata: Leaf Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy
Crassula ovata: Leaf Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Crassula ovata Bark
Crassula ovata: Bark Description
The bark is woody, peeling with distinct rings called stipular scars.
Crassula ovata: Bark Color
Dark Brown
Light Brown
Light Gray
Crassula ovata: Surface/Attachment
Bumpy
Exfoliating
Fissured
Furrowed
Lenticels
Papery
Patchy
Peeling
Ridges
Scaly
Shaggy
Shiny
Shredding
Smooth
Spongy
Crassula ovata Stem
Crassula ovata: Stem Description
Branched, fleshy, and thick with distinct rings around the stem. New growth is green or reddish-brown while older growth has a more grey color. Stays a similar diameter the entire length of the stem.
Crassula ovata: Stem Color
Brown/Copper
Gray/Silver
Green
Red/Burgundy
Crassula ovata: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Crassula ovata: Stem Cross Section
Angular
Oval
Round
Square
Crassula ovata: Stem Surface
Corky Ridges
Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
Dull
Hairy (pubescent)
Polished
Smooth (glabrous)
Crassula ovata: Stem Form
Straight
Zig Zags
Crassula ovata Poisonous to Humans
Crassula ovata: Poison Symptoms
Vomiting, depression, incoordination
Crassula ovata: Poison Toxic Principle
Unknown
Crassula ovata: Poison Severity
High
Low
Medium
Crassula ovata: Causes Contact Dermatitis
No
Yes
Crassula ovata Whole Plant Traits
Crassula ovata: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Crassula ovata: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Crassula ovata: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Crassula ovata: Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Rapid
Crassula ovata: Maintenance
Low
Medium
High
Crassula ovata Cultural Conditions
Crassula ovata: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Crassula ovata: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Crassula ovata: Available Space To Plant
12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet
Crassula ovata: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
11a
11b
12a
12b
Crassula ovata: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Crassula ovata Landscape
Crassula ovata: Resistance To Challenges
Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind
Crassula ovata: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
Crassula ovata: Problems
Allelopathic
Contact Dermatitis
Frequent Disease Problems
Frequent Insect Problems
Invasive Species
Malodorous
Messy
Poisonous to Humans
Problem for Cats
Problem for Children
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Short-lived
Spines/Thorns
Weak Wood
Weedy
