Crassula ovata (jade plant).

Ah, the common jade plant. I used to really love this type of shrubby succulent, but now I find them a bore. My grandmother had a large one on her front porch when I was a child. I would occasionally take cuttings off of her plant, but was rarely successful in getting them to root even though it is typically tremendously easy. In San Francisco these thing grow like weeds in yards and even in cracks in the pavement. That is probably why I have lost interest in them--if it is too easy to grow or too common, why would I want one?

Crassula ovata are in the crassula (stonecrop) family. This is the largest family in the saxifragales, and also includes our friends Aeonium, Dudleya, Kalanchoe, and Sedum. Crussula is the Latin diminutive for thick (an obvious reference to the thick appearance of these little buggers). Ovata is also Latin, and is easy to remember as it is describing the plant's egg-shapped (or ovate) leaves.

This guy stays alive despite my neglect. I never ever remember to water it. I think the only reason it is alive is due to its placement on the floor in front of my fish tank. I'm convinced the fish (that I never remember to feed) spit water on the jade at night. I have a similar sized one at work that looks worse than this guy. It is actually the only thing I have kept alive at work, because I refuse to water things when I'm on the job. Jade plants are very easy to root. You don't even need a stem cutting, even a leaf will root if left on moist soil. One fun thing to note, if you can recall your freshman biology course (7.014). CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) photosynthesis is named for this family of succulents. Many xerophytes are CAM plants. They fix carbon at night when the temperature is lower. This allows them to keep their stomata closed during the day to prevent water loss. Fun, fun, fun!