Cactus

Adromischus cristatus is a species of succulents from the family Crassulaceae, endemic to the eastern cape of South Africa. It is a perennial with short erect branches 20–50 mm long covered with fine aerial roots. Leaves are green to gray-green, with undulating margin, and generally measuring 20–40 × 5–13 mm. During the springtime, it sends up long narrow stalks for its flowers, which are tubular in shape and white in color with hints of red. Common names for this plant include “Key Lime Pie” and “Crinkle Leaf Plant.”

An extremely variable species. The narrow, pointed, splayed (“propeller-like”) leaves are initially a light green, but become a strong reddish colour in the sun. The leaves are stacked, and near the base of the rosette they are larger. Near the top of a rosette, the leaves gradually get smaller and change into floral bracts, as the stem forms a long, pointed inflorescence. It is a small, succulent herb (15–40 cm in height) – with stems that are either erect or rambling and mat-forming. Each stem forms roots at its internodes, which take root if the stem lies against the ground. Capitella is mostly biennial, blooming in the summer, with small, white, star-shaped flowers forming all around each thick, upright stem. It grows to a height of about 6 inches tall, and will be damaged when exposed to temperatures below 30 °F (−1 °C