Described in 2003, this species is named for its leaves being covered with sunken, purplish hydathodes, resulting in a spotted appearance. Its sweetly-scented flowers are small (4 mm, or 3/16"), white to light pink and may be solitary and axillary but more typically are massed into a more conspicuous, rounded, flat-topped thryse, to 180 mm (7") tall and 50 mm (2") across. It is reminiscent of the related but smaller leaved Crassula exilis (a commonly cultivated form of this is what is often called by the synonym C. picturata) from further west. C. foveata grows on cliffs and steep outcrops from 300-400 m altitude, often in shade providing a clue to its needs in cultivation. Rainfall occurs primarily in summer in habitat but year-round watering in cultivation is not a problem. It grows in association with other familiar and easily grown succulents: Aloe reynoldsii, Crassula perfoliata var. minor, Cotyledon orbiculata, Euphorbia tirucalli and Ornithogalum longibracteatum. Besides being satisfyingly easy to grow, this recently described species comes from a place with a fun name. Rooted plants of HBG 109157, the type collection, Van Jaarsveld & Ems 16652, from Colleywobbles, E. Cape, S. Africa. $8.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 86 (2), March - April, 2014