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Crassula ovata
Also called Japanese Rubberplant, Japanese Laurel, Baby Jade, Cauliflower Ears, Dollarplant, Jadeplant, Jadetree
In Singapore: Jade Plant, Dollar Plant, Friendship Tree, Lucky Plant (Grown in Singapore)
Jade plant is a slow-growing succulent shrub or small tree with thick, shiny green leaves, widely grown as a houseplant. Its key to success is sparing watering and bright light, as overwatering is the main cause of failure.
Crassula ovata, commonly known as jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or money tree, is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers that is native to the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, and Mozambique; it is common as a houseplant worldwide. Much of its popularity stems from the low levels of care needed; the jade plant requires little water and can survive in most indoor conditions. It is sometimes referred to as the money tree; however, Pachira aquatica also has this nickname.
As a succulent, Crassula ovata requires little water in the summer and even less in the winter. It is susceptible to overwatering, especially during the cold season. Watering excessively can cause leaf fall and root rot. However, a lack of water can also damage it. It should be grown in a porous substrate with good drainage, which will vary depending on the climate it is grown in. It requires four to six hours of direct sun or medium shade exposures with bright light per day. In regions with mild weather it can withstand some light frost provided that the substrate is kept dry.
C. ovata may display a red tinge around its leaves when grown in bright sunlight. In more extreme cases the green colour of the plant is lost and may be replaced by yellow. This is caused by the jade plant making pigments such as carotenoids to protect it from harsh sunlight and ultraviolet rays. The plant also flowers in the winter, particularly during a cooler, darker, dry spell. C. ovata is sometimes attacked by mealybugs, a common nuisance of the succulents.
Some sources claim that some species from the Crassulaceae family, including the jade plant, are toxic to horses, cats and dogs, as well as mildly toxic to humans with skin contact, but such claims remain unproven. Crassula ovata is known to be used as medicinal plant in some regions.
Water pygmyweed · Jade Plant · Toy Cypress · Propeller Plant · Crassula perfoliata · Concertina plant · Bonsai Stonecrop · Jade Tree · Baby Pine Of China · Moss pygmyweed · Fairy Bell Plakkie · Crassula vaillantii
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Crassula ovata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
