Crassula pellucida 'Variegata'
Crassula pellucida 'Variegata, widely sold under the trade name Calico Kitten, is a low, trailing succulent grown for its dainty, heart-shaped leaves splashed in cream, jade-green and rose-pink. It is a variegated form of the mat-forming species Crassula pellucida, and the pink tones deepen to coral or wine-red when the plant is grown bright and slightly stressed.
Description
'Calico Kitten' is a slender, sprawling grower with thin, wiry stems that trail and cascade rather than stand upright, making it a favourite for hanging pots and the edges of mixed containers. The small, opposite leaves are broadly heart- to teardrop-shaped and closely spaced along the stems. Each leaf is irregularly variegated in soft cream and pale green, edged and flushed with pink; new growth and sun-exposed margins carry the strongest colour. In cooler months and in strong light the whole plant can take on a rosy cast.
Like the parent species, it may produce tiny star-shaped flowers, but 'Calico Kitten' is grown almost entirely for its foliage rather than its bloom. Because the variegation reduces the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves, the plant is a little slower and more delicate than plain C. pellucida.
Cultivation
Care follows the parent species, Crassula pellucida, with a few adjustments for the variegation. Grow it in bright light — more than a plain green crassula needs — to keep the pink and cream colours vivid and the growth compact; too little light and the leaves revert toward green and the trailing stems stretch and space out. A little protection from the most intense afternoon sun helps prevent the pale, chlorophyll-poor tissue from scorching.
Plant it in a fast-draining, mostly mineral mix and water only when the soil has dried out, easing off in winter; the thin stems rot quickly if kept damp. See Watering and Repotting for general technique. Trailing stems can be trimmed to keep the plant tidy, and any fully cream, chlorophyll-free shoots are best pinched out, as they cannot sustain themselves.
Because variegated tissue lacks the vigour of green growth, 'Calico Kitten' is more sensitive to overwatering and cold than the species; keep it above freezing and on the dry side.
Propagation
Propagation is easiest from stem cuttings, which root readily in a gritty mix; leaf cuttings are less reliable for this cultivar and may not carry the variegation true. Always take cuttings from stems that show a good balance of green and cream, since shoots with too little green struggle to establish. See also Propagation — offsets.
See also
- Crassula — the genus overview
- Crassula pellucida — the parent species
- Propagation — cuttings · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting