Top 10 Most Expensive Succulents, Care Methods Are Key

Succulent plants refer to plants in which at least one of the three vegetative organs - root, stem and leaf - is thick and juicy and capable of storing large amounts of water. As for the top ten most expensive succulents, just how expensive can they be? Rumor has it that some varieties reach as much as 100,000 yuan. The more ornamental a succulent is, the more people like it, but do you really know how to grow succulents?

I. The world's top ten most expensive succulents

No. 1: Neon Haworthia cooperi

Neon Haworthia cooperi is a classic variety of Haworthia cooperi, loved by many succulent enthusiasts for its large and translucent windows, smooth purplish-black leaves, and colorful variegation, and is a variety many hobbyists dream of owning. Neon Haworthia cooperi is a variegated mutation from a cross between the South African original species David Haworthia cooperi and the artificially selected Ice Lantern Haworthia cooperi. It is scarce in number and slow-growing.

Morphological features: the leaves are triangular, with a window at the tip, large and bright. The leaf margins are hairless, normally green, and turn a beautiful purplish-black after full exposure to sunlight.

Distribution range: it is a variegated variety of the hybrid selected-bred non-variegated Neon (the non-variegated variety is even fewer in number than the variegated one); the female parent is Ice Lantern Haworthia cooperi, selected and bred from Ji Haworthia cooperi originally from South Africa; the male parent is the original species Haworthia cooperi from South Africa. It is now cultivated in many places around the world.

No. 2: Haworthia truncata

This one is quite beautiful; as you can see from the picture, it consists of several small plants, growing upright to form a fan shape, looking just like a fan, with very high ornamental value. The top of the plant looks as if it has been cut by a knife, with a cross-section. This succulent is also rather rare and precious.

No. 3: Pachypodium brevicaule

The name sounds a bit odd; in fact it is also an endangered species. It is native to Madagascar. On the surface it does not look like much, just big lumps, with some green leaves dotted on its surface, looking rather calm!

No. 4: Ariocarpus retusus

Ariocarpus retusus is a succulent native to North America. The surface of this succulent is silvery-white, its top is orange-yellow, and the other parts are displayed in the shape of fish scales. The flowers come in various colors, both yellow and pink.

No. 5: White-skinned Pachypodium

The name White-skinned Pachypodium sounds very artistic and full of poetry, because of its densely packed small leaves. This succulent has already been banned from export, so it is becoming harder and harder to obtain. Its place of origin is Namibia in Africa, and it grows very slowly. Generally, seeds take about several decades to grow into form, so at present it is already a rare endangered species. Because resources are rare and scarce, the price is very high.

No. 6: Haworthia maughanii

Haworthia maughanii, also called Mao Han Twelve Scrolls, has no stem. Rows of fleshy leaves are arranged into rosette shapes of varying heights, and the shape of the plant is a semi-cylindrical form.

No. 7: Aztekium ritteri

Aztekium ritteri is also called the wrinkled-rib cactus. It surrounds itself like a cage. This plant is mainly distributed in small valleys in northeastern Mexico, often growing on cliffs and precipices covered with limestone. Ordinary people rarely see this succulent, so it is also very precious.

No. 8: Spiral Aloe

This one is impressive; its appearance is simply a work of art. Its wondrous shape has earned it the name Queen of Aloes. Spiral Aloe is also called Solomon's Crown of Jade. You can look at the picture - aren't you stunned by its appearance? One cannot help but marvel at the wonders of nature!

No. 9: Ariocarpus fissuratus

Ariocarpus fissuratus looks very strange, like a lotus flower, but the texture of its rosette is very similar to a turtle's shell, and it also looks like stone. This succulent is native to Texas in the United States and Mexico. In terms of numbers, it is currently an endangered succulent, very rare.

No. 10: Lithops

Lithops is a rare succulent native to the arid regions of South Africa. Its surface has many patterns, and at a glance it looks very much like a few small stones. There are also several varieties, and different varieties produce different flower colors and flower shapes.

II. How to grow succulents?

1. Sunlight

This is surely the one everyone is most familiar with. One of the biggest secrets of growing succulents is “sunlight”. Most succulents turn red after being exposed to strong sun, or their colors become more vivid. In fact there is an additional condition——[temperature difference]. Among succulents, the one that best shows color changes should be the Crassulaceae, which is also one of the main reasons the Crassulaceae succulents are so addictive to everyone.

2. Watering

The most common form of watering is misting. Small water droplets fall onto the succulent, and then come the strong midday sun, and so it gets scorched. At this time the water droplet plays the role of a magnifying glass; think of the example of a magnifying glass focusing sunlight to light a fire. So this is one reason never to mist. The second reason not to mist: most succulents, mainly Echeveria, have a white powder on their leaves, and this powder is produced only once. If you spray water or water directly onto the leaves, the white powder will be washed away, and the white powder on the leaves will not regenerate. At this point, if you want the succulent to look prettier, you can only wait for new leaves to grow, and also be careful not to touch it.