What is a Succulent?
A succulent is a plant characterized by thick, juicy flesh which is well suited to high water retention. The plants evolved in arid climates all over the world, and they vary widely in size and shape. Many people use succulents as ornamental plants, especially in low water gardening such as zeroscaping. The low water plants can look quite lovely, with some succulents producing stunning and unusual looking flowers. Several traits are shared among all succulents. The first is very dense, thick stems, often protected by a spiny, hairy, or waxy surface. The fleshy stems of succulents may perform the bulk of photosynthesis for the plant, while the surface helps to keep the plant from drying out. Succulents also tend to grow in very compact ways, minimizing potential water loss and exposure to the sun. The plants may also adapt long roots to reach the water table. The leaves of succulent plants are often considered one of their distinguishing features. A succulent either has few to no leaves
by Artie Chavez Reprinted from the Cactus Chronicle, Newsletter of the Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society You must own at least one cactus or succulent, or you would not be reading this. Everyone’s first question seems to be “How do I take care of this?” If you’re afraid to ask this question, you should not be, because answering this question is tougher than one would think, and is also the first question the experts ask when they receive a new plant. With this question in mind let’s try to examine how to answer it. The following is a common conversation that we all have experienced, being on one end or the other, “How do I take care of this thing?” Our first instinct is to discuss watering, when and how much. But in order to answer this we need to know what is being watered, so we ask with all the encouragement and patience as possible, “What is it?” The reply we get, “Well, it’s green and has spines, and OH! It’s that one that flowers!” Well we asked, obviously we need more i
A succulent is a plant that stores water for times when water is not available to it. Succulent plants are generally found in arid environments such as deserts and semi-deserts. However, they can also be found in areas where the annual rainfall is high but not reliable (for instance most of the annual rainfall comes once or twice a year in quick bursts).
The word succulent is widely used as a synonym for succulent plant. This describes the concept well, a succulent is a plant of which one or more of its organs (leaves, stem, roots) has developed the capability to store water. More precisely, a succulent can be defined as a plant that stores water in its tissues as a mechanism to survive periods of drought in the growing phase as well as the dormant phase (and not only in the dormant phase, like cormous and bulbous plants, which are not classified as succulents). This unique quality is the factor which stimulate the world-wide interest in succulents, firstly because this adaption resulted in fascinating and at times even bizarre growth forms, secondly because it makes it possible to transplant (and transport) even mature plants fairly easily. The well known mesemb or vygie family comes to mind, where in many cases, such as the ever popular lithops, the whole plant consists of only two thickened and fused leaves, which do not even resemb
