Succulents are the perfect home and office companions because they live long and are relatively easy to care for.
The Jade plant, aka crassula ovata, is one of the most popular succulents that can adorn your room or garden. In addition, there are many types of jade plants to choose from.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at some of our favorites of these wondrous plants.
How Many Types of Jade Plants Are There?
There are about 300 types of Jade plants. These hundreds come in a myriad of variations.
Some look similar but exhibit different colors, while others look completely different from the original jade plant (crassula ovata).
They don’t only differ in look and shape, but they vary in their growth and life expectancy.
These variations are also present in each plant’s care, optimal placement, and availability.
Here’s a selection of vibrant and beautiful jade plants for your house and garden.
1 – Jade Plant (Crassula Ovata)
Crassula ovata is the most well-known type of jade plant. It’s also known as lucky plant or money tree.
This name comes from the popular belief that jade plants bring luck and money to their owner, which originated in Chinese culture.
In addition to being a symbol of good luck and prosperity, they look cute in offices or homes.
The plant has a thick stem that resembles a tree’s, and it has little rounded green leaves that have colored edges when you expose it to sunlight for a long time.
These tree-looking succulents can be a welcomed addition to your garden because they grow till they’re 6 ft in height and 3 ft in width, resembling a shrub or a tree.
Most importantly, they need minimal care as they can survive for weeks without water because they store moisture for a long time in their leaves.
The best spot for a jade plant is in a sunny place but out of direct sunbeams, and with this simple care, jade will prosper and bring you all the luck.
Variegated Jade Plant
Variegated jade plant is a colored variation of the common jade plant. It’s also called lemon & lime because their leaves have green, yellow, and white hues.
It grows to be a little more than 3 feet tall.
Additionally, it needs sandy dry soil and to be kept out of direct sunlight.
2 – Botany Bay Jade
Botany Bay Jade is a compact jade plant perfect for growing indoors.
These office-friendly plants have multiple stems each with clustered leaves, ranging in color from green to yellow with reddish leaf edges.
They grow up to 2 feet tall and can handle direct sun but not for extended periods. They also thrive in sandy dry soil with biweekly watering.
Moreover, Botany bay plants are slow-growing succulents, which means they won’t outgrow your home or office any time soon.
3 – Trailing Jade
Trailing jade, also known as crassula sarmentosa comet, is a jade plant with heart-shaped leaves, unlike the common coin-shaped jade leaves.
The plant has long branches holding exotic medium green leaves and yellow edges. Sun-exposure makes the leaves lighter in color and bring out red hues in the edges.
Crassula sarmentosa is a quick-growing jade, and its stem grows to be 3 feet long when it reaches maturity, which makes it a great addition to your garden.
All it needs is 6 hours a day of sunlight and deep watering when the soil is completely dry.
If you treat these magnificent plants the right way, they’ll bloom with white star-shaped flowers in the spring or early summer.
However, they rarely bloom when grown inside, so grow outside and witness these delicate cream flowers.
4 – Fairy Crassula
Fairy crassula, aka crassula multicava, is rightfully named after its whimsical appearance.
Unlike all the other types of jade plants, this one is mat-forming, as it spreads quickly across the soil. It has little oval leaves and masses of little white or light pink flowers.
Despite their stunning appearance, these plants are harder to grow inside because of their mat-forming and quick growth.
On the other hand, fairy crassula can grow beautifully in your garden and with minimum care. Give the plants a little bit of sunlight and water them whenever the soil goes dry, then you’re set.
When getting them, learn their name in your region because crassula multicava is also called pitted crassula, cape province pygmyweed, and London pride.
5 – Mini Jade (Dwarf Jade)
Mini jade, or crassula ovata ‘Minima’ is a dwarf jade plant. This little plant looks like the common jade plant but is tiny.
This mini plant thrives in indirect bright sunlight, requires deep watering twice a month, and needs good drainage.
All these characteristics make it a good bonsai tree to display anywhere in your home. In addition, it can fit on your desk or bookshelves.
6 – Pink Beauty Jade
Pink beauty jade is yet another variation of the standard jade plant, but these beauties are known for their pretty pink flowers.
One of the most aesthetically pleasing in the bunch, these plants are also low maintenance when grown in your garden.
They need full sun but can tolerate partial sun. Whether indoors or outdoors, don’t over-water them; only water when it’s necessary.
With good care, they’ll bloom in winter and grow to be about 4 feet tall upon their maturity, adding cozy vibes to your home.
7 – Gollum Jade
Gollum Jade is the first on this list named after a fantasy or a sci-fi character (Spielberg makes a cameo later).
This one, in particular, is named after a character in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
Like the misshapen figure of Gollum in Tolkien’s books, these plants are chaotic and have mismatched tubular leaves.
These leaves earned them more names after fantasy monsters, as they’re also called Shrek’s ears or ogre’s ears (rightfully so, as they look exactly like Shrek’s ears).
Fairytale characters aside, these plants need a couple of hours of daily bright sunlight and partial sun for the rest of the day.
Moreover, they need a good watering every other week or so but dry the soil completely before each watering.
Variegated Gollum Jade
Variegated gollum jade is a variation of gollum jade with green and white leaves. They grow slower and need far less direct sunlight.
8 – Hobbit Jade
Hobbit jade is quite similar to gollum jade in that they’re sometimes interchangeable. However, hobbit jade is slightly different as its tubular leaves are more curved than the Gollum’s.
Like Tolkien’s writing, adding these plants to your home or garden can add a touch of magic and warmth.
The hobbit jade needs four hours a day of direct sunlight and water once the soil is dry, as does the gollum jade.
9 – Skinny Fingers Jade (aka ET Finger)
Another strikingly accurate name, skinny finger jade, is a tubular plant that looks exactly like ET’s finger in Spielberg’s iconic scene.
These plants prosper in warm weather and can’t withstand cold climates.
They can be grown indoors with minimal effort. These plants only need indirect sunlight and good drainage to stay healthy.
10 – Silver Dollar Jade (Crassula Arborescens)
Silver Dollar Jade, aka crassula arborescens, is named after their coin shaped faded green leaves.
The look and name of crassula arborescens bring to mind the notion of jade as a lucky plant that brings good fortune to its owner.
These plants are suitable for growing out in the garden because they need 4 to 6 hours of sunlight, or you can place them inside in front of a window.
Another solution is to provide artificial light and water them once or twice a month.
With proper care, the silver dollar jade grows to 4 feet long and brings good fortune to your door.
Final Thoughts
There are many types of jade plants, and every single one is unique in color and shape, but all are simple to care for. Getting a jade plant can add warmth to your home or office as well.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.