Jade plant - Crassula ovata

Crassula ovata, commonly known as the Jade Plant, is a popular houseplant, cherished for its miniature tree-like appearance and fleshy foliage. With its thick trunk that strengthens over the years and its jade-green leaves, it resembles a natural, robust, and characterful bonsai. Easy to grow, it requires minimal care: a small spot in a sunny living room and occasional watering during its growth period. Indoors, it grows slowly, taking its time to flourish, and with proper care, it may even produce a subtle yet elegant flowering. An ideal plant for those who enjoy growing plants without excessive demands.

Belonging to the Crassulaceae family, Crassula ovata is a succulent bush that can reach up to 2.5 m in height in its natural habitat. When grown indoors, however, it remains more modest, typically reaching a height of 50 cm to 1 m with a similar spread. Its growth is slow to moderate, taking several years to reach maturity. Its thick, branching stems become woody with age, giving it the appearance of a small tree. Its foliage consists of opposite, evergreen, ovate to elliptical leaves, measuring between 3 and 9 cm in length and 1.8 to 4 cm in width. These fleshy green leaves may develop red edges when exposed to strong light. Under optimal conditions, such as a cooler period and shorter days, the Jade Plant can produce small, star-shaped, white or pink flowers in winter, clustered in terminal inflorescences. This flowering can also occur indoors with good light exposure and slight water stress.

The Jade Plant is a versatile ornamental plant, perfect for brightening up a sunny living room or conservatory. To create an attractive plant arrangement, it can be paired with other plants with similar needs. For example, with Aeonium haworthii, a miniature tree with large rosettes, Aloe vera, prized for its thick foliage, Sansevieria trifasciata (Mother-in-law's Tongue), renowned for its hardiness and upright leaves, and Echeveria elegans, which forms a lovely rosette of leaves.