Known world wide as an extremally long living plant with a vibrant history, the jade plant has been a collectors staple and favorite from even before the 18th century with reports dating as far back as 1786 France stating “that the plant had been growing for a long time in the Jardin du Roi in Paris”. You can rest assure that jades have been chosen for their ease of care requiring very small amounts of water and light to thrive and many cultures have traditions that pass on the ancient family heirlooms of this plant to be continued on by their ancestors. native to south Africa nothing is quite as different of a jade plant with is thick stems and plump leaves.