Crassula garibina is a low-growing perennial succulent growing on average to about 25 cm. 

The almost cylindrical leaves are pale grey with a faint, maybe seasonal greenish tinge. Leaves grow in opposite pairs on sturdy yellowish to reddish brown stems. The leaf curves a little inwards, showing a nearly flat surface on the inside. Leaf tips attenuate sharply, sometimes carrying a tiny dark dot. The leaves of this Crassula resemble those of some Senecio species.

The species distribution is in the north of the Richtersveld in the Northern Cape and across the Gariep in southern Namibia. The specific adjective refers to the Gariep River, the northern border of the Richtersveld.

The habitat is arid, stony slopes where temperature extremes are common. Neither of the two subspecies is considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century, although one of them is deemed rare.

In habitat C. garibina may remain tiny, but this greenhouse specimen at the Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden has an easier life that allows for spreading a bit (Williamson, 2010; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).