Crassula capitella 'Campfire'
Crassula capitella 'Campfire is a low, spreading succulent grown for its stacked, boat-shaped leaves that turn from fresh lime-green to a fiery orange-red under bright light and cool, dry conditions. A cultivar of the South African species Crassula capitella, it forms sprawling clumps of branching, mat-like stems and is prized as one of the most reliably red-colouring succulents for pots, borders and mixed arrangements.
Care follows the parent species; see Crassula for full detail.
Description
'Campfire' grows as a branching, semi-prostrate succulent, with stems that trail and spread along the ground before their tips lift upward, so a happy plant knits together into a loose, sprawling mat rather than a single upright rosette. The fleshy leaves are triangular and tightly stacked in opposite pairs along the stems, giving each shoot a plump, layered, almost propeller-like look.
Colour is the whole point of this cultivar. In shade or low light the foliage sits at a soft yellow-green, but as light intensity rises — and especially when nights turn cool and water is withheld — the leaves flush through orange to a vivid, flame-red that reads brightest along the leaf edges and tips. Under mild, shaded conditions the colour fades back toward green, so the "campfire" effect is something you coax out with sun and lean growing rather than a fixed trait. Mature clumps may throw up clusters of small, star-shaped, white to cream flowers in the warmer months.
Cultivation
Grow 'Campfire' as for the parent species, Crassula capitella. It wants plenty of light — the more sun it gets, the redder and more compact it stays — together with a fast-draining, mostly mineral mix and a pot or bed that never stays soggy. Water thoroughly once the soil has dried out, then hold off; like most Crassula, it is far more forgiving of drought than of a wet, airless root run.
To bring out the signature red, combine strong light with cooler temperatures and restrained watering, which stresses the plant just enough to intensify pigment without harming it. In deep shade or with generous feeding and watering it reverts to green and grows leggy. It is not frost-hardy; keep it above freezing and move containers under cover in winter, where a cool, dry rest also deepens the colouring. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
Because the stems spread and root readily where they touch the soil, plants can be kept full and tidy by trimming back straggly growth and replanting the cuttings.
Propagation
'Campfire' is very easily propagated from stem cuttings, the standard approach for maintaining the cultivar true to type. Take a length of stem, let the cut end callus for a few days, then set it on a gritty mix and water lightly once roots appear. Sprawling stems that have already rooted along their length can simply be separated and potted on. Individual leaves can sometimes be rooted as well, though far less reliably than stem or tip cuttings. See Propagation — cuttings and Propagation — offsets for a full walkthrough.
See also
- Crassula — the genus overview and parent species
- Propagation — cuttings · Propagation — offsets · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting