The Cacti of American deserts are probably the best known examples of these plants. They store water in their fat, fleshy stems, so that they can survive in times of very little rain. Their leaves are reduced to narrow spines, so that they have a very small surface area from which to give off water by evaporation.
The variety of beautiful and interesting succulents seems endless. There are hundreds of types of succulents with fascinating shapes and colors. Many desert succulents will live healthy lives much longer than humans. Some of the best succulent plants also have medicinal uses topically and/or internally.
You can grow succulents from seeds. They are also easy to propagate from the leaves and cuttings. They grow best when you use specially prepared soil for succulents. With a little patience, you are almost guaranteed success in starting a new succulent plant.
A succulent is any plant that can store water in its roots, stems or leaves. Succulents have at least part of their plant that seems over-sized, fleshy and thickened. All cacti are succulents. Many other plants are designated as succulents even though they are not cactus. Most succulents originated in arid regions but there are some that come from rain forests and every other type of environment.
The Latin word translated into “succulent” is “sucus” which means sap or juice. It is typical of most species of succulents to have a liquid juice or sap in its leaves or body.
The Encyclopedia Britannica describes succulents as; “Succulent, any plant with fleshy, thick tissues adapted to water storage. Some succulents (e.g., cacti) store water only in the stem and have no leaves or very small leaves, whereas others (e.g., agaves) store water mainly in the leaves. Most succulents have deep or broad root systems and are native to either deserts or regions that have a semiarid season.”
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