I've always had a soft spot for crassulas but don't grow many, just a few of those I like the best. It's a very large genus and while looking for conos & adros in South Africa I regularly see half a dozen different crassulas growing together, sometimes more – no doubt DT can refer back to his notes for the most recorded in one place. Like any large genus there are common & rare species and Crassula susannae was one of the rare ones which I'd long wanted to see. Unlike may others which are seen over a vast area, this is localised to one farm on the quartz fields of the north western Knersvalkte.
I'd visited it's locality many years ago with Derek but we didn't find it back then. But with Andy, Alice & Alan I had another chance when we included Riethuis on a recent itinerary to see the endemic conos there. It's discoverer John Lavranos had told me it was difficult to find.
Can you see it? There are tell-tale old flowers at the top of the picture.
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I asked around among my friends & contacts and luckily got some GPS coordinates from another South Africa fanatic who had see it. It didn't take us too long.....
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Patterns in the sand.....
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When I blew away some of the sand.....
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Another crassula which is a favourite of mine, but far more common and widespread across the Richterveld is C.alstonii. It's tricky to grow so rarely seen in cultivation.
These three pctures are at Grashoek, north of Umdaus......
....and this amazing group were above the farmhouse at Kosies.
