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Succulents, also known to many as succulents 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, in Ecologist Verde you can know 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 some than other beautiful colored flowers. Here you can discover many types of cacti: their names and care.
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 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. The oleander, the vinca or the allamanda They 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 Aizoaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Portucaláceas, Aspofeláceas or Hiacintaceas.
Sansevieria or tiger's tongue
This is one of the most commonly seen 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
To discover more about this famous plant, go ahead and read the guide on Caring for sansevieria tridasciata.
Lithops or stone cactus
Between the kinds of succulents most popular are the cactus stones 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.
Learn about stone cactus or lithops care at this link.
Chandelier plant
Among the various varieties of succulent plants that we can find, the candelabra plant, cardon or Euphorbia lactea It is one that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years due to its weird 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 in color just like the rest of the plant.
Christmas cactus
Another of the types of succulent plants and cacti most seen, especially at Christmas time, is known as 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.
Here we explain how to take care of a Christmas cactus.
Kalanchoe
There are many types of this succulent plant. In fact, here we show you +40 types of kalanchoe and these are some of the names of kalanchoe species best known:
- Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
- Kalanchoe tomentosa
- Kalanchoe Pink Butterflies
- Kalanchoe tessa
- Kalanchoe daigremontiana
- Kalanchoe thyrsiflora
- Kalanchoe beharensis
- Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri
- Kalanchoe pinnata
- Kalanchoe arborescens
It needs tight watering, since it conserves water very well, but we encourage you to discover more about its needs with this other post about Kalanchoe plant care.
aloe vera
We couldn't make a list of types of succulents not to mention the famous aloe vera. There are many types of aloe, as you can see here, but the aloe vera It 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.
In this link you can see Aloe Vera Care.
Desert rose
The desert rose, adenium or winter rose (Adenium obesum) It 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.
To discover the care of the desert rose, you can consult this guide.
Echeveria
There are many types of echeverias and these are some of the best known species:
- Echeveria elegans
- Echeveria plvinata
- Echeveria pilosa
- Echeveria glauca
As it is about another of the succulent or succulent plants best known and most present in homes, here we show you the Care of the echeveria plant.
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 are 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) It can be indoors, next to a well-lit window, as it needs a lot of sun, but is best outside in full sun or in a partially shaded area.
To learn more about the care of the crown of Christ plant or of thorns, here we leave you the guide in text and in video.
Donkey tail
The Sedum morganianum It is a curious plant for being one of the hanging succulents best known for its appearance. It is called donkey tail because it has an appearance similar to long tails of donkeys or horses, as it is composed of small fleshy gray-green leaves that form rows on the hanging stems. You have to be careful not to flood it because its leaves retain a lot of water and, due to its good growth rate in optimal conditions, it requires transplants from time to time.
Jade plant
The jade plant, jade tree or Crassula ovata attracts abundance and good luck, according to Feng Shui. It is also considered a symbol of friendship and, therefore, it is a common gif.webpt for those who start a business or move to a new home. It is a crass with many branches and small green oval leaves, although they can turn a little yellow and with a red edge if it gets too much sun.
In this post you can learn more about the care of the jade plant.
Rosary plant
This is another of the hanging species that we can find the most in homes. The rosary plant or Senecio rowleyanus has long, thin stems that hang down and have a lot of round leaves, like peas, something that makes it striking and reminiscent of a rosary. Watering should be moderate, since in these round leaves it saves water and an excess will rot its roots and then the whole plant. In addition, it also needs a lot of sunlight throughout the day.
If you like this type of plant, we recommend this other post about Hanging Succulents: types, care and how to reproduce them.
San Pedro Cactus
Known as San Pedro cactus or Echinopsis pachanoi It is one of the most famous, that is why we include it in this list of succulents and cacti. It is widely used in traditional Andean medicine, but also as a decorative plant in outdoor areas and in spacious interiors. Has some White flowers flared and very large, which only open at night and last a day or a little longer.
We recommend this other guide on Caring for the San Pedro cactus.
Succulent plant care
After discovering all these kinds of succulent plants, we will explain the most basic of their needs so that you can cover them well and enjoy them. These are the basic care of succulents:
- Lighting - Most of these plants need large amounts of direct natural light.
- Substrate: these are not very demanding plants with the nutrients, so they only need a substrate with good drainage.
- Irrigation: they do not withstand waterlogging, so it is necessary to control waterings well and tend to water less than other types of plants.
To learn much more about these incredible plants, go ahead and read these other articles by Green Ecologist on Succulent Care, How to grow colored succulents and Succulents with flowers, their names, characteristics and photos. Also, below you can see a video from our YouTube channel about the most common mistakes when caring for succulents.
If you want to read more articles similar to Types of succulents, we recommend that you enter our category of Outdoor Plants.
