Jade plant
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Forgiving Among the more tolerant plants here.
Also called Baby Jade, Chinese rubber plant, Dwarf rubber plant, friendship tree, jade tree, Japanese rubber plant, Lucky Plant, Money Plant and money tree.
Jade plant is toxic
- Toxic to cats. Toxic principle: Unknown. Clinical signs: Vomiting, depression, incoordination. ASPCA
- Toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: Unknown. Clinical signs: Vomiting, depression, incoordination. ASPCA
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Crassula argentea (ASPCA). Citations below point at the name its source uses.
- Light
- High light 150–1000 fcClemson Extension, filed as Crassula argentea · read 11 September 2026Full sunRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exceptionPenn State Extension · read 11 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H2 — 1–5°C 1–5 °CRHS · read 11 September 2026- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- ToxicASPCA, filed as Crassula argentea · read 11 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- ToxicASPCA, filed as Crassula argentea · read 11 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No harm statement is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 11 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Pale dry areas across the upper leaves only
On a jade plant the marks are patchy and one-sided. Leaves on the shaded side of the plant keep their colour entirely.
Full sun is what its source names, and outdoors that sun comes with moving air that cools the foliage. Behind still glass the same light heats the tissue well above the room, and the exposed patches dry out first.
Telling it apart: The edge of the damage. Scorch has a sharp boundary; rot and infection have a soft, spreading one.
RHSJade plant leaves turning yellow: causes- Swollen, darkening leaves that come away at a touch
Soft, discoloured tissue appears where the leaves join the stem of the jade plant, and the compost smells stale rather than earthy.
A plant that stores its own water has little use for more. Kept in well-drained soil that stays wet, the stored tissue takes up water it cannot release and the cell walls give way.
Telling it apart: Firm and wrinkled is thirst; soft and swollen is the opposite. The two look similar from across a room and feel nothing alike.
RHSJade plant leaves falling off: causes- Wrinkling rather than yellowing
The plant droops as a whole rather than losing particular leaves, and the soil surface has gone pale and hard.
Its source describes well-drained soil. A pot left dry past that point cannot supply the plant, and wilting is the fastest visible response.
Telling it apart: Whether water runs straight through. Compost dried hard sheds water down the sides, which is itself a sign of drought.
RHSJade plant leaves turning yellow: causes
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Jade plant.
Routine care
- Watering
- Water moderately once the soil is dry, and less from fall to late winter. Overwatering can cause leaf fall and root rot.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026During growth in spring and summer, water enough to keep lightly moist; during winter dormancy, water very sparingly.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Feed monthly with a general liquid fertiliser from spring to summer.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Leaf cuttings root easily.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Sow seed once ripe, or in spring use offsets or root, stem or leaf cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by mealybugs.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Can be troubled by aphids, vine weevils and mealybugs. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Crassula ovata, commonly known as jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or money tree, is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers that is native to the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, and Mozambique; it is common as a houseplant worldwide. Much of its popularity stems from the low levels of care needed; the jade plant requires little water and can survive in most indoor conditions. It is sometimes referred to as the money tree; however, Pachira aquatica also has this nickname.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- SE. Mozambique to SE. Cape Prov.World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026South AfricaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026S. Africa (Cape)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- subtropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- succulent subshrub or shrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Shrub, Succulent; habit erect, multi-stemmed, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Spreading branched (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 36–72 in; width 24–36 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 1.5-2.5 metres; spread 1-1.5 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink, white; blooms in springNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers pink in summer; white in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Jade plant
Other Crassula
More of the Crassulaceae family
Burro's tailLeaves soften and curl inward
Flaming KatyA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Mexican snowballPale dry areas across the upper leaves only
Aeonium haworthiiSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Aeonium undulatumSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Biting StonecropSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Plants with similar care
Aloe veraMushy tissue at the base of the aloe vera
Baby rubber plantLeaves turn glassy from the stem outward
Bunny ears cactusLeaves go soft and slightly see-through
Crown of thornsLeaves soften and curl inward
HoyaDry scorched spots after a move into a sunnier spot
String of heartsNew leaves arrive smaller and paler than the ones below
Sources
- ASPCA · read 11 September 2026
- Clemson Extension · read 11 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.