A Shrub That Looks Like a Jade Bush

Crassulaceae Similarities

• Jade tree lookalikes in the Crassulaceae family display an erect, tree-like form that includes a branching habit, with abundant green, blue-green or silvery evergreen foliage that can be either shiny or dull. The leaves also sometimes feature red edges when grown in full sunlight. Leaves are plump and fleshy but become limp when the plant is subjected to drought. Bloom color varies depending on species, but potted plants grown in greenhouses or indoor conditions rarely bloom, making similarities in form and appearance among tree or shrub-form jades more pronounced than differences. (Ref. 3, pp. 481, 489, 490, 550-551)

Silver Jade Plant

• Like the jade tree, silver jade plant (Crassula arborescens), hardy in USDA zone 11, features rounded leaves and a branching habit. While jade tree's leaves are medium green, those of silver jade are silver-blue. Both can grow to 12 feet tall by 6 feet wide but are generally smaller when grown in pots, topping out at just under 3 feet tall. Both jade and silver jade bear numerous five-petaled flowers, but jade flowers are white, while silver jade bears pink blooms. The two plants are relatively slow-growing and shy about flowering when grown indoors. (Ref. 2, p. 327. Ref. 3, pp. 481, 490)

Airplane Plant

• Winner of the Royal Horitcultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, the airplane plant (Crassula perfoliata var. falcata) is hardy in USDA 9 through 10, able to withstand a bit more cold than jade tree. It grows to about 3 feet tall, roughly the same as the height expected of a jade tree grown in a pot. Common jade leaves are green and rounded, while airplane plant has silvery leaves that are elongated and propeller-like, with a slight twist, as if they are about to rotate. Both plants bear large quantities of flowers, but the airplane plant's flowers are red instead of white. (Ref. 3, pp. 481, 489. Ref. 4)

Red-Flowered Relative

• Scarlet jade plant (Crassula coccinea, also known as Rochea coccinea), hardy in USDA zones 12 through 13, is a little smaller than a pot-grown jade, reaching 24 inches tall by 12 inches wide. It share's jade's evergreen character and branched, upright habit. Both species have fleshy green leaves, but scarlet jade leaves have hairy edges or margins. The flowers, when they appear, mark the difference between the two plants: scarlet jade bears vivid red flowers in umbels or flat-topped clusters. Common jade's white flowers are borne singly. (Ref. 3, pp. 550-551)