Scientific Family
Crassulaceae
Synonyms
Crassula connata var.erectoides, C. connata var.eremica, C. erecta, Tillaea connata, T. erecta, T. minima, T.rubescens, T. leptopetala
Other common names
sand pygmy stonecrop
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Similar species
Tillaea aquatica
Height
3/4 to 2-1/4 inches
Riparian
No
A small, often much-branched, low-growing succulent forming dense clumps. Stems have many tiny, fleshy oval to oblong leaves which are green when young and mature to shades of red, often brownish-red. Tiny clusters of whitish flowers are difficult to see.
Annual; simple or bushy-branching, 3/4 to 2-1/4 inches tall; foliage succulent, ages red; leaves oval; flowers delicate, stemmed, petals 3 to 5, narrow to triangular; sepals somewhat shorter or exceed petals, tips pointed; fruits rounded, 1 or 2 seeded.
Habitat
Sandy and gravelly soil of washes and small depressions, open areas on hillsides or flats, in rocky areas especially mossy rocks.
Plant Community
Interior Chaparral
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
2500
High elevation
4000
Flower Characteristics
Flowers in crowded clusters at leaf axils (between the leaf and stem), 2 per leaf pair, often with short stalks but may be stalkless, 4 leaf-like sepals are fused at the flower's base. Whitish petals less than 1/16 inch are not longer than the sepals.
Flower color
Whitish
Flower shape
Inconspicuous
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
April
Flower clusters
Other
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems are hairless, freely branching, grow upright and straight or curve upward; leaves from 1/16 to 1/4 inch long, are succulent, have an oval or oblong to egg-shaped blade and a pointy to rounded tip, leaf pairs are fused around the stem (connate).
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green, shades of red with age
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
Yes
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
The fruit, known as a follicle, splits only on 1 side to release the seed. Each follicle is dry, purplish, less than 1/16 inch long, egg-shaped to rounded with an upward curve and contains 1 to 2 seeds (usually 1).
Fruit type
Other
Fruit color
Purplish
Each seed is less than 1/16 inch long with a narrow oval shape that is pointed at both ends. The seed's surface is dull and finely wrinkled.