Jade plant varieties and their leaf shapes

Use leaf shape and habit to sort jade forms: rounded leaves, tubular or monstrose leaves, compact forms, or variegated colors.

Plant coveredCrassula ovataJade plant · Money tree · indoor container

Check the species, variety, group or trade name

Plant names and labels

Taxonomy
Kew accepts Crassula ovata and records Crassula argentea among its synonyms. The named forms in the extension profiles are cultivars or horticultural selections within that species.
Group
The useful groups are rounded-leaf standard forms, tubular or monstrose forms, compact or dwarf forms, and variegated or color-selected forms. These are visible-trait groups rather than formal taxonomic ranks.

Compare visible shape, pattern and size

How the varieties differ

NCSU describes Gollum with tubular leaves, Hobbit with spoon-shaped leaves that curl inward, Minima as a small rounded-leaf dwarf, Hummel’s Sunset as yellowish-orange or red, and Variegata forms as pale green, white, yellow, or pink. RHS describes ‘Gollum’ as tubular, red-tipped, and tree-like to about 1.2 m.

Change care only for a named difference

Care differences

Cultivar habit and leaf form change the practical choice of container size, display space, and training. A compact or trailing form needs a different footprint from tree-like Gollum. The shared C. Ovata baseline remains full light, cactus compost, and lighter winter watering.

Treat an unverified identity as uncertain

Limits of plant labels

Sources