Musky stonecrop facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Musky stonecrop
Scientific classification
Genus:	Crassula
Species:	moschata

The Crassula moschata, also known as the Shore Stonecrop or Musky Stonecrop, is a cool little plant! It's a type of herb that grows in mats and has juicy, fleshy leaves. You won't find any hairs on this plant. It's super common along the cold shores of the Southern Ocean, especially in places like New Zealand and other subantarctic islands.

What is the Musky Stonecrop?

This plant is a succulent, which means it can store water in its leaves and stems. This helps it survive in tough, dry places. It's also a perennial, so it lives for more than two years, coming back each season.

How it Looks

The main stems of the Musky Stonecrop spread out along the ground. They even grow roots at different spots along the stem, helping the plant spread out. Smaller stems grow upwards from these main ones.

Its leaves are quite small, shaped like tiny spoons or spears. They are about 2.8 to 4.2 millimeters long and 1.1 to 1.5 millimeters wide. The bottom part of the leaves is often reddish. The leaves higher up on the stem are curved inwards (like a bowl), while the lower ones are curved outwards.

Flowers and Seeds

The Musky Stonecrop has tiny, single flowers that grow where the upper leaves meet the stem. These flowers usually appear from January to March. They have pink parts called sepals and white petals that are about 2.5 millimeters long.

After the flowers, the plant produces fruits. Each fruit holds four small seeds. These seeds are about 0.8 millimeters long and look a bit like tiny oval shapes.

Where Does Musky Stonecrop Live?

This plant is found all around the southern parts of the world, in what's called a "circumpolar range." Imagine a circle around the bottom of the Earth – that's where you'll find it!

Its Home Around the World

You can spot Musky Stonecrop in southern South America, Tasmania (an island south of Australia), New Zealand, and many other small islands in the subantarctic region. These islands include the Falkland Islands, Prince Edward Islands, Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands, Chatham Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Campbell Islands, and Macquarie Island.

Preferred Habitats

This plant loves to live right by the ocean, in what's called the littoral zone. This is the area of the shore that's affected by tides. You might find it growing on:

• Beachrock stacks: These are piles of rock found on beaches.
• Humic sandy soils: This means sandy soil that has lots of rich, dark organic material (humus) mixed in.
• Thin peaty soil: Sometimes it grows on thin layers of peaty soil, which is made from decaying plant matter, on beach pebbles.