Small, fleshy, variable shrubs to just over 1 m tall. Leaves opposite or occasionally whorled, obovate to oblanceolate, flattened, mostly 5-10 cm long, slightly convex on both surfaces, mostly, but not always, with a waxy-white covering and a red line around the margin which is sometimes wavy. Flowers in clusters at the apices of long stalks, generally orange, pendulous, cylindrical, to about 3 cm long but generally shorter. Syn. c. macrantha of authors other than De Smet.

This is the only species widely cultivated; it is naturalised in a few localities in SA.

C. cuneata Thunb. from S Africa is a fleshy subshrub to about 0.5 m tall with leaves obovate to ovate, concave on upper surface, convex below and green with a pronounced red margin, the flowers orange-pink.

C. tomentosa usually has flowers with an abrupt bulge in the floral tube and hairy leaves with non-glandular hairs.

S Africa.

Source: Stajsic, V.; Spencer, R.; Forster, P.; Thompson, A. (2002). Crassulaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.