What Are Succulent Plants? A Complete Guide

A succulent plant is a plant whose nutritional organs have the ability to store large amounts of water. There are more than 10,000 species worldwide, and they have certain medicinal and landscaping value. They can be planted alone or used as companion plants to complement a main feature. Below is an introduction to several common succulent plants.

Several Common Succulent Plants

1. Cactus

Origin: The cactus is native to the east coast of Mexico, the southern and southeastern coastal regions of the United States, the West Indies, Bermuda, and northern South America.

Appearance: The cactus is a clumping fleshy shrub, 1.5-3 m tall. Its branches and leaves do not bear hard barbs, and the leaves are obovate, obovate-elliptic, or nearly round. Its flowering period is June-October (June-December), and the flowers are yellow or red when they bloom.

2. Christmas Cactus

Origin: The Christmas cactus is native to Brazil in South America and has been introduced to China; it is commonly cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions around the world.

Appearance: The Christmas cactus is an epiphytic succulent plant, often shrub-like, with no leaves. Its bright green (slightly purplish) stem segments are thornless, and its rose-red flowers are borne singly at the tips of the branches.

3. Sedum rubrotinctum

Origin: Sedum rubrotinctum is an artificially hybridized variety with no distribution in the wild, and it is generally sold in flower markets.

Appearance: Sedum rubrotinctum is a perennial succulent herbaceous plant. The plant is 10-20 cm tall and much branched. The fleshy leaves are swollen and alternate, cylindrical to ovate, 2 cm long, green, with a glossy surface and no white powder; under sufficient sunlight they turn reddish-brown, and the small flowers are pale yellow-red.

At present, among the many known succulent plants, some are native species, while others are varieties produced by artificial hybridization. You can learn more at your local flower market.