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Friday, November 07, 2008

Succulent Campfire



















This is a spike of Crassula erosula 'Campfire' just beginning to show bud. This time of year the stems elongate and develop bunches of small white starry shaped flowers while the basal foliage turns bright red. This assassin bug nymph, Zelus renardii, is stalking insect prey up and down the flower spike.

Do not buy this plant! It is so ridiculously easy to propagate from cuttings it would seem a crime to give money for it. If you do buy some, promise to give cuttings to any and all interested parties so as to make up for your own indiscretion. Some freaky people don't like the flowers (??!??) and cut the spikes off as they elongate. I wait until after the bloom fades, then cut off the long trailing stems. Just stick these into the soil and they will root.

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