Crassula connata
Pygmy-weed
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Crassulaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Crassula connata (Pygmy-weed) is a native California herb in the Crassulaceae family, recognized by terrestrial habit and rounded leaf tips help separate from aquatics.
Pygmy-weed is a California native annual found in northwestern California, the Sierra Nevada foothills, Great Valley, central and southwestern California, western Mojave Desert, and Sonoran Desert in open areas at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces tiny white to greenish-white flowers less than 1.5 millimeters long, clustered two per node. Growing with delicate erect stems 2 to 10 centimeters tall that turn reddish with age, it forms compact, branched or unbranched clusters. Its small leaves are ovate to oblong, measuring 1 to 3 millimeters long with acute to rounded tips. The fruit develops as a small ascending ovoid structure containing one to two shiny elliptical seeds with wavy longitudinal lines.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 7 sympatric species; terrestrial habit and rounded leaf tips help separate from aquatics
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open areas
Elevation: < 1500 m
California counties: Kern, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura, Contra Costa, Santa Barbara, Riverside, Yuba, San Luis Obispo, Butte, Orange, San Diego, Monterey, Lake, El Dorado, Marin, Tulare, San Francisco, Fresno, Imperial, Colusa, Humboldt, Calaveras, Sutter, Amador, Alameda, Sonoma, Del Norte, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Napa, Nevada, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Mendocino, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Yolo, Solano, Placer, Tehama, Glenn, Trinity
Outside California: to Washington, southern British Columbia, Texas, northern Central America, also western South America
Bloom period
Crassula connata blooms Feb-May.
How to tell it apart
vs Sedum: Sedum leaves are alternate or scattered; Crassula leaves are strictly opposite with fused bases.; vs Cotyledon: Cotyledon has large, fleshy leaves without fused bases; Crassula leaves clasp stem with fused bases.; vs Aeonium: Aeonium forms rosettes with many leaves per node; Crassula has two opposite leaves per node.; vs Kalanchoe: Kalanchoe has clusters of showy flowers; Crassula has tiny single flowers in leaf joints.; vs Portulacaria: Portulacaria has round, flat leaves on woody stems; Crassula has succulent opposite clasping leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Is Crassula connata native to California?
Yes. Crassula connata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Crassula connata bloom?
Crassula connata blooms Feb-May.
Where in California does Crassula connata grow?
Crassula connata occurs in Kern, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura, Contra Costa, Santa Barbara, Riverside, Yuba and other counties, at elevations of < 1500 m.
What plant family does Crassula connata belong to?
Crassula connata is in the Crassulaceae family, genus Crassula.
What habitat does Crassula connata grow in?
Crassula connata grows in Open areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.