Succulent Plant Terminology Is This Professional - Save It

Many succulent lovers may have been growing succulents for some time, but they may not know some common succulent terminology. I hope this article will help succulent lovers understand the basic terminology related to succulents.

1. Succulent plant, also called fleshy plant or juicy plant, is an ornamental plant with fleshy stems and leaves and thick water-storing tissue. Plants with fleshy, juicy stems include those in the Cactaceae family, while plants with fleshy, juicy leaves include succulents in the Agavaceae, Crassulaceae, and Euphorbiaceae families. Succulent enthusiasts also like to call them "rou rou" for short.

2. Family: an academic term for a plant classification unit. One genus or several genera whose flowers are close in morphological structure can form a family in the plant classification system. For example, Crassulaceae consists of 30 genera.

3. Genus: an academic term for a plant classification unit. Every botanical name must consist of a genus name, a species name, and the naming authority. Each genus may include one to several species.

4. Species name: an academic term for a plant classification unit, also called the scientific name. Each plant has only one scientific name. It comes after the genus name and before the variety or cultivar name. For example, aloe (Aloe vera var. chinensis), in which Aloe is the genus name, vera is the species name, and var. chinensis is the variety name.

5. Variety: a classification unit below species and subspecies. For example, in the Cactaceae family, the comb cactus is a variety of the comb-spined Eubelmann cactus, and the fiercely spined golden barrel cactus is a variety of the golden barrel cactus, etc.

6. Caudex succulent: a plant whose fleshy part is mainly at the base of the stem, forming an enlarged fleshy mass or spherical body of varying shapes. Examples include Jingwuji, false kapok, and Guangtang.

7. Heterothallism: refers to unisexual flowers borne separately on different plants, thus giving rise to male and female plants.

8. Hermaphrodite flower: a flower that has both stamens and pistils. Most succulents have hermaphrodite flowers and can set seed normally after flowering.

9. Simple, solitary: refers to a plant whose stem grows alone without producing branches or offsets. Examples include the old man cactus and the golden barrel cactus among cacti.

10. Clustering: refers to many dense new branches or offsets growing together. Examples include the Mammillaria among cacti and the Crassula 'Pagoda Village' among succulents.

11. Dormancy: a state in which a plant pauses natural growth and may also show leaf drop or death of the aboveground parts. It often occurs in winter and summer.

12. Summer type: succulents whose growing season is in summer and which are dormant in winter are called summer-type plants or winter-dormant plants. They mainly flower in summer. Summer here refers to the summer climate in the succulent's place of origin. If the weather is too hot, the succulent will still go dormant.

13. Winter type: succulents whose growing season is in winter and which are dormant in summer are called winter-type plants or summer-dormant plants. Winter here refers to the winter climate in the succulent's place of origin. If the weather is too cold, the succulent will still go dormant.

14. Climbing stem: a stem that grows upward by climbing on other objects with the help of special structures. Examples include the bird of paradise in Crassulaceae and the elephant's foot in Dioscoreaceae.

15. Aerial roots: roots produced from the aboveground stem, often seen on mature plants of Sedum rubrotinctum and Senecio haworthii.

16. Soft leaf: among succulents, the leaves of some species are tender, juicy, and very easily broken or damaged by pests and diseases. They are generally called the soft-leaf group, such as Haworthia cooperi in the genus Haworthia.

17. Thick leaf: refers to some succulent species with thick, hard leaves. They are generally called the hard-leaf group, such as Haworthia reinwardtii and Haworthia fasciata in the genus Haworthia.

18. Rosette: a growth form in which many leaves grow radially from a short stem close to the ground, with the leaves arranged in a manner resembling a lotus flower. Examples include the genera Echeveria and Graptopetalum in Crassulaceae.

19. Leaf-teeth: often refers to the fleshy spine-like structures on the edges of thick succulent leaves. Commonly seen in aloe plants in the Liliaceae family, such as Aloe nobilis, Aloe nobilis variegata, and Aloe juvenna.

20. Leaf thorn: a thorn-like structure transformed from part or all of a leaf. Leaf thorns can reduce transpiration and provide protection. For example, the spines of cacti are leaf thorns.

21. Window: in many succulents, such as Haworthia in the Liliaceae family, the tip of the leaf surface has a transparent or translucent part called a "window." Changes in the window surface are also a basis for classifying varieties.

22. Absorptive bud, also called "nie," is a bud-like body produced on the nodes of underground stems or in the axillary buds of aboveground stems. Examples include the small plants growing beside the mother plant of Sempervivum and Echeveria.

23. Leaf scar: the broken leaf stalk mark left on the stem or branch after a leaf falls off. The arrangement order and size of leaf scars can be used as a basis for identifying plant species.

24. Hybridization: the act of crossing two plants to obtain a new variety with the characteristics of both parents. For example, Graptoveria 'Titubans' is an intergeneric hybrid of Echeveria and Graptopetalum.

25. Grafting: a propagation method in which the stem or offset of a mother plant is attached to a rootstock so that they combine into a new plant. The stem, offset, or bud used for grafting is called the scion, and the plant receiving the scion is called the rootstock.

26. Stock, also called rootstock. The plant connected to the scion during plant grafting propagation. In cactus grafting, Hylocereus undatus is commonly used as the rootstock, while for succulents, Euphorbia nerifolia is often used as the rootstock.

27. Leaf cutting: a propagation method in which part of a succulent leaf is inserted into a substrate to encourage rooting and grow into a new plant.

28. Renewal: through pruning methods, including heavy pruning and removal of old branches, new branch growth is encouraged.

29. Air-cured root: when overly wet soil and root disease cause root rot in succulents and yellow leaves appear, the plant can be taken out of the soil and the roots exposed to air to dry, which helps eliminate pathogens and restore vitality.

30. Variegation, also called color spots or spotted variegation. All or part of the stem loses the ability to produce chlorophyll, while other pigments remain relatively active, causing red, yellow, white, purple, orange, or other colors or color spots to appear on the stem surface. In cultivar names, f. variegata or 'Variegata' is often used.

31. Fasciation, also called cresting, is an irregular bud mutation phenomenon. This deformed fasciation is the result of abnormal development of certain meristem cells, and in scientific names f. cristata or 'Cristata' is often used.

32. Cristate: leaves, stems, or flowers growing in a cockscomb-like form, also called cockscomb-like, such as the cristate form of Gymnocalycium mihanovichii.

33. Bud mutation: a trait that appears in a vegetative part of a plant, differs from the original plant, can be inherited, and can be preserved by asexual propagation. Examples include many variegated and fasciated cultivars among succulents.

34. Mutation: refers to the phenomenon in which the genetic tissue of a plant suddenly changes, causing the plant to show new characteristics, and these new characteristics can be inherited by the offspring. Succulents can also have new characteristics fixed through grafting.

35. Yellowing: refers to the phenomenon in which a plant, due to lack of light, has faded and yellowed leaves and excessive stem growth.