Succulents, also known to many as succulent or fleshy plants, are very common in homes due to their magnificent decorative qualities and their easy maintenance. Succulent plants are characterized by fluffy and fleshy-looking leaves, stems and flowers because they work with a survival system that allows them to store water inside to be able to self-hydrate when necessary.
If you want to discover more about these species, you can learn about 13 types of succulent or succulent plants, their names, characteristics, and care.
Main types of succulents
These are, in general, the main types of succulent plants , with some species names, but in the following sections we will see different types of succulent or succulent plants, discovering some of the representative species.
Cactaceae
They are the best known, those beautiful cacti with a wide variety of shapes, colors, and characteristics that often give away some precious colored flowers.
Agavaceae
They are very useful at an ecological and economic level, and they are used both to get drinks such as pulque or mixes as well as being used for the extraction of fibers. Of the 300 existing species, the most popular are the genera agave, yucca, hosta or sanseviera .
Crassulaceae
Generally native to dry habitats in the southern hemisphere, most of the 1,400 plants of this species are succulents. Among them we find the kalanchoe, sedum, monanthes, umbilicus, sempervivum (everlasting) or the crassula , for example.
Apocinaceae
More than 1,500 different types of plants make up this family, many of them from tropical or subtropical spaces and with a common negative characteristic such as the toxic latex they contain. Oleander, vinca or allamanda are some of the most popular in the world thanks to the fact that quinine can be extracted from them, for example. Other succulent species are the aizoaceae, euphorbiaceae, portucaláceas, aspofeláceas or hiacintaceas .
Sansevieria or tiger’s tongue
This is one of the most popular succulents in homes, especially indoors, as it needs little direct sunlight. Therefore, if you have it indoors it can be in a corner in front of a window or next to it and outdoors put it in a semi-shady place. Remember to water it just enough, since it is a crass or succulent plant. The best known Sansevierias plants are:
- Sansevieria trifasciata
- Sansevieria cylindrica
- Sansevieria laurentii
- Sansevieria grandis
- Sansevieria zeylanica
- Sansevieria Fernwood ‘Mikado’ (Sansevieria hybrid)
- Sansevieria hyacinthoides or Hyacinth
- Sansevieria gracilis or Graceful Sansevieria
- Sansevieria dooneri or Dunery
- Sansevieria liberica or Sansevieria liberiana
- Sansevieria kirkii or Kirk
Lithops or stone cactus
Among the most popular types of succulent plants are the stone cacti or Lithops . They are cacti that look like stones as they grow little in height and have rounded shapes. They make white or yellow flowers that are often larger than the formations of the cacti themselves.
Chandelier plant
Among the various varieties of succulent plants that we can find, the candelabra plant, cardón or Euphorbia lactea is one that has gained much popularity in recent years due to its rare shapes and colors. Its stem is of a dark green tone, while its leaves and new stems are light green and, the most striking part of this plant is its wavy crest, which can be whitish, pink, reddish or green like the rest of the plant.
Christmas cactus
Another of the most popular types of succulent plants and cacti, especially at Christmas time, is known as the Christmas cactus, Easter cactus or Santa Teresa feather plant . It is a type of hanging plant that is highly appreciated for its meaning but also for its decorative power, since its shapes and colors contrast, and it can have white, pink, fuchsia, red or yellow flowers.
Kalanchoe
There are many types of this succulent plant. In fact, here we show you some of the best-known kalanchoe species names :
- Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
- Kalanchoe tomentosa
- Kalanchoe Pink Butterflies
- Kalanchoe tessa
- Kalanchoe daigremontiana
- Kalanchoe thyrsiflora
- Kalanchoe beharensis
- Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri
- Kalanchoe pinnata
- Kalanchoe arborescens
aloe vera
We couldn’t make a list of succulent plant types without mentioning the famous aloe vera. There are many types of aloe , as you can see here, but Aloe vera is one of the most popular for its proven medicinal properties. The gel inside this plant is very moisturizing, healing, regenerating, cleansing, soothing, anti-inflammatory, refreshing, and mild laxative.
Desert rose
The desert rose, adenium or winter rose ( Adenium obesum ) is a beautiful succulent plant, as it looks like a small tree (in fact, it is also grown as bonsai) with pink-hued flowers that look like stars. It does not withstand low temperatures, below 10 ºC, and needs watering once every 10 or 15 days in hot months and once a month in cold months.
Echeveria
There are many types of echeverias and these are some of the best known species:
- Echeveria elegans
- Echeveria plvinata
- Echeveria pilosa
- Echeveria glauca
Crown of thorns
This succulent or crass plant has stems full of large thorns, its leaves are of an intense green color and small flowers grow in groups. The flowers are tiny and yellow in color, the striking part of this area is its bracts, which surround the flowers and are usually white, pink, orange and red and always appear at the tips of the stems, just above the leaves.
The crown of thorns plant or crown of Christ plant ( Euphorbia milii ) can be indoors, next to a well-lit window, since it needs a lot of sun, but it is best outside in full sun or in a semi-shady area.
