Crassula columella
Crassula columella
Pillar plant

Crassula columella

£8.99
Sun-lover
Pot size
8.5cm £8.99

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Complete the set up
Desert Mix | Premium Cacti & Succulent Potting Mix
The perfect soil Desert Mix | Premium Cacti & Succulent Potting Mix · 2.5L · £4.99
Description

Crassula columella is a miniature stacking succulent from South Africa, sometimes called the pillar plant. Its small, broad leaves press tightly around each stem to build neat four-angled columns up to about 2cm across, and they have a soft, velvety surface. The foliage is yellowish green and often blushes red or golden in bright light. Stems stay short, reaching around 15cm at most, and branch from the base to form a compact clump over time. Mature plants can produce small rounded clusters of cream to pale yellow flowers in autumn. It is easily confused with Crassula barklyi, the rattlesnake tail, which has smooth leaves edged with a white fringe of fine hairs and branches far more freely.

Origins

This is a true species, described by Marloth and Schönland in 1929 and accepted by Kew. In the wild it is found only in a small area of northern Namaqualand in South Africa's Northern Cape, where it tucks into crevices in quartzite outcrops on the upper slopes of low hills. That part of the country gets its rain in winter, so the plant does most of its growing in the cooler months of autumn and spring and rests through the heat of summer. It is listed as Rare on South Africa's national Red List, with only five known wild subpopulations.

Care

Give it the brightest windowsill you have. A few hours of direct sun keeps the columns tight and brings out the warm colouring, while poor light lets the stems stretch and turn pale. Use a gritty, fast draining cactus compost and water only once it has dried out completely, then soak it and let the excess drain away. Water most during its autumn and spring growth, and keep it much drier in summer while it rests and through the darkest weeks of winter, as wet compost is the usual cause of rot. Ordinary room humidity suits it perfectly. It copes with a cool, bright room in winter but must stay frost free, ideally above 5C. It is not individually listed by the ASPCA, but its relative the jade plant is listed as toxic to cats and dogs, so keep it out of reach of pets.

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All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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How to care for Pillar plant

Let me bask in full sunshine and water me only when my soil is completely dry.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
Get to know me

About Pillar plant

Crassula columella is a houseplant that takes a little effort. It needs bright direct light, watering only once the compost has dried right through, average household humidity and a minimum temperature of 5°C.

Good for

Living Room

Care level

EasyChallenge

A little effort

Light

ShadeFull sun

Bright, direct sun

As bright as possible, including a few hours of direct sun. Good light keeps the columns tight and colourful; poor light makes them stretch and fade. Read moreShow less

As bright as possible, including a few hours of direct sun. Good light keeps the columns tight and colourful; poor light makes them stretch and fade.

Watering

Evenly moistDries out fully

Let it dry out fully between waterings

Water only when the compost has dried out completely, then soak and drain. Water most in autumn and spring, and keep it much drier in summer while it rests and through the darkest weeks of winter. Read moreShow less

Water only when the compost has dried out completely, then soak and drain. Water most in autumn and spring, and keep it much drier in summer while it rests and through the darkest weeks of winter.

Humidity

Average homeHigh humidity

Happy at normal household humidity

Ordinary room humidity is ideal. No misting needed, and good airflow helps prevent rot. Read moreShow less

Ordinary room humidity is ideal. No misting needed, and good airflow helps prevent rot.

Temperature

Keep above 5°C · Tolerates a cool room

Happy in a cool, bright room in winter but must stay frost free, ideally above 5C. Avoid cold, wet conditions together. Read moreShow less

Happy in a cool, bright room in winter but must stay frost free, ideally above 5C. Avoid cold, wet conditions together.

Feeding

Feed monthly with a balanced fertiliser from spring to autumn, and let it rest over winter.

Growth habit

Upright →Clumping →

Plant type

Succulent →

Also known as

Crassula columella

Genus

Crassula →
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Crassula columella different from Crassula barklyi?

Both build stacked columns of tightly clasping leaves and both come from the winter rainfall region of South Africa, so they are often mixed up. Crassula columella has leaves with a soft, velvety surface, forming columns up to about 2cm across that branch mainly from the base. Crassula barklyi, the rattlesnake tail, has smooth leaves with a pale, papery edge fringed with fine hairs, and older plants are always well branched. Kew accepts them as two separate species.

Is Crassula columella safe for pets?

It has not been individually assessed. The ASPCA does not list Crassula columella, but it does list two relatives, the jade plant and silver jade, as toxic to cats, dogs and horses, causing symptoms such as vomiting. Until more is known, treat it as potentially harmful and keep it where pets cannot chew it.

How often should I water it?

Only when the compost has dried out completely. It grows mainly in autumn and spring, so that is when it wants the most water. In summer it rests, and in the darkest weeks of winter growth slows, so water much more sparingly then. Wet compost is the most common way to lose this plant.

Why are the columns stretching or losing their colour?

That is almost always a sign of too little light. Move it to the sunniest windowsill you have, where a few hours of direct sun each day keeps the leaves tightly stacked and brings out red and golden tones. Stretched growth will not tighten again, but new growth will be compact once the light improves.

How big does it get?

It stays small. The stems reach around 15cm tall at most and slowly branch from the base, so over several years one plant becomes a compact clump of columns. It is a slow grower, which makes it a good long term choice for a small sunny windowsill or a mixed succulent bowl.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Meet the family

Everything about Crassula

Crassula is a large genus of succulent plants in the family Crassulaceae, with over 200 species found primarily across Southern Africa. The most widely grown is Crassula ovata, commonly known as the jade plant, money plant, or lucky plant — a sturdy, long-l...

More about Crassula care
Crassula Care Guide
Why Grow Tropicals

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£8.99