Crassulaceae

The Crassulaceae family is known as a "succulent" family. Leaves, in particular, are thicker than usual. The example to the right of burrows tail indicates just how succulent the leaves can become. The flowers very often are very showy, in contrast to the rather dull green of the vegetative portion of the plant. To the right is an interesting greenhouse specimen called Burro's tail (Sedum morganianum). This exemplifies the rather exotic nature of these succulents, which often are well adapted to xerophytic habitats.

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Sedum morganianum - burros tail

	The life, or maternity plant, Bryophyllum sp, is a common indoor interest. The small plantlets born on the edge of the leaves produce a new plant. All you need to do is scatter the little "plantlets" in soil, and new plants arise. In fact, these plants came from some starters my wife obtained at a Church circle 20 years ago!

	This is a good specimen of Jade Plant, which I purchased in 1988 from the local Iga in a small pot. It did well for years, but age caught up with it, and I took off a cutting and started over.
	Sedum telephium, stonecrop, is highly variable and is represented here by a specimen in front of my house. It is a common ornamental in our area as a summer perennial.

	"Hen and Chickens' are a very interesting set of perennials that do well in hot, dry situations. We tried some of these with some success in the Shrum garden, and three examples are shown here. They will form a thick mat of vegetative growth as they reproduce from an underground rhizome. Soon, enough "babies" are present for you to pick off and plant elsewhere.


	The thing about Burro's tail (Sedum morganianum) is that the small leaves can be used as "starters" for new plants. Several starters are shown here. You just keep watering and waiting, and soon those starters will become a new growth of stem and leaves. In a few months it will look like the picture shown at the top of this page.