Crassula multicava subsp. multicava
Fairy crassula, Fairy Crassula
(c) Bruce Calvert, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Bruce Calvert · licence
Family: Crassulaceae · Type: Perennial · Not Native
Crassula multicava subsp. multicava (Fairy crassula) is a non-native California perennial in the Crassulaceae family, recognized by much larger size and petiolate leaves clearly diagnostic.
Fairy crassula is a naturalized perennial found in the Central Coast bioregion, persisting from cultivation in shaded, rocky places at the wildland-urban interface at elevations below 50 meters. Flowering from November to February, this plant produces cream or white flowers with pink or reddish tips, arranged in terminal panicles. Growing with erect or decumbent stems 20 to 40 centimeters tall that root at the nodes, it has multiple pairs of cauline leaves. Its ovate to wide-elliptic leaves are 20 to 50 millimeters long, green or yellow-green, with rounded or notched tips and occasional purple coloration on the undersides. The plant produces small plantlets in bract axils and bears 12 to 20 nearly spheric seeds with rows of rounded papillae.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species; much larger size and petiolate leaves clearly diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Persisting from cultivation, sparingly naturalized in shaded, rocky places at wildland-urban interface
Elevation: < 50 m
Outside California: native to southern Africa
Bloom period
Crassula multicava subsp. multicava blooms Nov-Feb.
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 multicava subsp. multicava native to California?
No. Crassula multicava subsp. multicava is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Crassula multicava subsp. multicava bloom?
Crassula multicava subsp. multicava blooms Nov-Feb.
What plant family does Crassula multicava subsp. multicava belong to?
Crassula multicava subsp. multicava is in the Crassulaceae family, genus Crassula.
What habitat does Crassula multicava subsp. multicava grow in?
Crassula multicava subsp. multicava grows in Persisting from cultivation, sparingly naturalized in shaded, rocky places at wildland-urban interface.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.