A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Jade Plant is having an identity crisis or maybe it is a subspecies?

Last year I bought a tiny 2 inch pot with several jade plant cuttings in it. They were almost purple in color and the soil was soaked.

I took them home and planted them in with my other succulents. 3 died the fourth one turned green and grew and grew and grew. It grew right over the pink succulent next to it and had the aloe forced up on the rim of the pot ready to jump out so I repotted.

.....and it grew and grew and grew but not up as I expected but down the sides of the pot. The stems are strong but down it goes every chance it gets and it is still purple around the edges of the leaves rather than brown like the other jades I have had. Does anyone know what is going on with my jade plant?

Sounds to me like you just have a different variety of jade. They come from the genus Crassula. There are some like Crassula arborescens and Crassula ovata. I've even seen variegated ones. Whether or not they can be called "Jade" versus Crassula something-or-other, I don't know. But I wouldn't worry. There's also something called a red-rimmed jade that's quite pretty!

I think you are definitely right.

The Plakkiebos looks a lot of like what I have and it says it is a sprawling shrub that might account for it's growing habits.

I also found out that the pink succulent I have is another form of crassula. I found several of the others really attractive too and will keep my eye out for them in the stores.

I never knew they would or could bloom, I'm going to try to get them to do that this year both are very healthy. And I have them in a south facing window. The window is frosted but that hasn't bothered any other plants yet that I can tell. Thank you again for getting me moving in the right direction.

This forum has really increased the pleasure I take in my plants.

You must be doing something right, because jades only show their purple or red edging when they get enough light.

Thank you for the encouragement cricket.

I also found that they won't show it if I overwater, something I am always tempted to do.