What Is the Meaning of a Jade Plant?

The jade plant (Crassula ovata) is often called the "friendship plant" or the "money tree" and is a staple in many Asian households. The meaning of the jade plant is prosperity. Jade plants are grown as houseplants, used in bonsai gardens or grown outdoors in warm climates.

Significance

The jade plant is used in the practice of Feng Shui to attract the flow of money. Feng Shui is the Chinese art of creating balance and harmony of energies within a space. Practitioners believe that the "money tree" brings balance to the southeastern corner of a home. The jade plant is one of the plants used in this way. A jade plant is often placed near a cash register in Chinese tradition as a way to attract prosperity. Some people call it the "dollar tree."

Considerations

The jade is a succulent that does well with infrequent watering and arid conditions. The leaves are oval-shaped, and when freshly watered resemble coins. These leaves are easily used to propagate the plant by setting them in the soil at an angle, propped against a support. The leaves will root, making the jade an easy plant to share. The jade is often called the "friendship plant."

Evergreen plants

The jade plant is an evergreen, keeping its foliage all year long. Evergreens are tied to the symbols of youth and growth.

Varities

The most recognized jade plant is the crassula ovata.This true jade is found in South Africa. There is a trailing jade plant that is actually from the family Kleinia petraea. Cultivars of true jade plants come with variegated leaves. Red striped leaves are found in the Crassula ovata arborescens jade.

Cautions

Jade plants will die from overwatering and the leaves will burn from overexposure to light. This is often the cause of injury or death in jade plants.