''Crassula muscosa'',

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Crassula lycopodioides''''Crassula muscosa'' at houseplantz.net
/ref> and ''Crassula pseudolycopodioides'', is a

succulent plant In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

native to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

, belonging to the family of '' Crassulaceae'' and to the genus '' Crassula''. It is a houseplant grown worldwide and commonly known as rattail crassula, watch chain, lizard's tail, zipper plant and princess pines.

Etymology

The scientific and the common names refer to its appearance: ''muscosa'' derives from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word ''muscosus'', meaning "

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

y". ''Lycopodioides'', referred to the clubmoss '' Lycopodium'', derives from the Greek words "Λύκος" (''líkos'',

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

), "πόδι" (''pódi'',

foot The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...

) and οειδής (''oeides'', -oid, similar to).

Description

''Crassula muscosa'' has very small, light green leaves that are densely packed around a thin

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

, and the arrangement of the leaves around the stems gives them a square shape. It grows as an intricate

bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...

with very small yellow-green flowers, with a maximum height of 15–20 cm.

Distribution and habitat

''Crassula muscosa'' is native to South Africa (the Cape Provinces, the Free State and the Northern Provinces) and Namibia. It grows in environments with a moderate degree of

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

, in which the soil is well drained and composed of fertile soil and sand.

Cultivation

During the cold season, it tolerates temperature drops up to a minimum of 6-8°C, requiring little water. In summer, it needs a lot more water and should be not exposed to full sun, as it suffers under excessive sunlight. When these conditions are not met the plant begins to dry and stiffen, generally starting from the base of the stem up to the tips. It is an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

and easily propagated from stem cuttings. If the environment maintains a stable temperature of 20-21°C, with adequate humidity and brightness, the cutting will root and grow rapidly.

Gallery

File:Crassula lycopodioides - Buffalo Botanical Gardens.jpg, An exemplar at

Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens are botanical gardens located within South Park in Buffalo, New York, United States. These gardens are the product of landscaping architect Frederick Law Olmsted, glass-house architects Lord & Burnham ...

( Buffalo, NY) File:Crassula muscosa 'Princess Pine' Closeup 3264px.jpg, An exemplar at

Chanticleer Garden Chanticleer Garden is a forty-eight-acre botanical garden built on the grounds of the Rosengarten estate at 786 Church Road in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Located on Philadelphia's historic Main Line, Chanticleer retains a domestic scale and is welcomin ...

( Wayne, PA) File:Crassula muscosa1 ies.jpg, Stems,

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

and

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s File:Crassula lycopodioides.jpg, Detail of leaves

Varieties

*''Crassula muscosa'' var. ''accuminata'' *''Crassula muscosa'' var. ''muscosa'' *''Crassula lycopodioides'' var. ''purpusii'' *''Crassula muscosa'' var. ''rastafarii'' *''Crassula muscosa'' var. ''sinuata''''C. muscosa'' var. ''sinuata'' at tropicos.org
/ref> *''Crassula muscosa'' var. ''variegata''

References

External links

*
''Crassula muscosa'' at learn2grow.com
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5182516 Muscosa Flora of the Cape Provinces Flora of the Free State Flora of the Northern Provinces Flora of Namibia Garden plants House plants