Species library › Crassula › Crassula ovata
Succulents Well documented

Crassula ovata

Jade plant

A thick-stemmed succulent shrub of the Albany Thicket (valley bushveld) of South Africa's Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. It grows on rocky hillsides and in sheltered ravines alongside aloes, euphorbias and Portulacaria afra. Its home has bright sun, warm summers, mild winters with cool nights, and modest rain spread through the year, with the least in winter. Indoors it wants as much light as possible, deep but infrequent watering, and a cool, drier winter to flower.

Crassula ovata
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

A shrub of dense, evergreen succulent thicket on rocky hillsides and slopes, in sheltered ravines and on the margins of open forest. It usually grows in stony, shallow, free-draining soil, with its crown in sun among other shrubs.

Only nine records carry an elevation, ranging from 42 to 1179 m with a median of 169 m. Other sources give sea level to about 600–900 m. It is mainly a coastal and low-inland valley plant.

Cape ProvincesKwaZulu-NatalMozambique

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 2.0 licence, unmodified.