Succulents are one of the most common plant species across the globe but identifying types of succulents isn’t easy.
Many succulent varieties from cuttings or bought in-store are simply labeled as succulent without a specific name.
It’s important to know your type of succulent as each plant species has specific needs that can make a difference to your plant maintenance.
In this handy guide, we find out why knowing your type of succulent is important and how you can identify your specific succulent type.
Why Does Succulent Identification Matter?
One of the main reasons why identifying your succulent plant is crucial is because it has a big impact on how you need to care for your succulent.
Succulent identification can be the difference between a healthy plant and a dying plant.
While some succulents might share a similar appearance or name, they still have different characteristics and needs.
For example, some succulent plants are winter hardy, while their look-alike twin could not survive the extreme cold.
In addition, the type of succulent plant can also make a difference to your environment. As an example, some succulents are toxic to children and pets.
And as a proud succulent owner, you need to be aware of these characteristics and possible risks before you bring a succulent into your home or garden.
How To Identify Different Types Of Succulents
As a rule of thumb, every plant that stores water in its roots, stems and leaves is classed as a succulent.
As this is a very broad definition, succulent varieties can look very different from each other.
However, you may also find that some succulent plants look very similar but have different requirements for light, water, nutrients and temperature.
For example, Sempervivum and Echeveria are both called ‘hens and chicks’ and both form large rosettes. However, only the Sempervivum variety survives freezing temperatures, while Echeveria wouldn’t survive temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
The more succulents you look at, the more you can learn about the different succulent types just from their appearance.
Make sure that you take a lot of pictures of your succulents and use the below identification strategies to find out what plant you are looking at.
Here are some common ways to identify succulent plants indoors and outdoors.
Identifying Succulents By Characteristics
The best way to distinguish between the various types of succulents is by looking at their specific characteristics.
Here are some of the key plant characteristics that you can look for when you want to find out what type of succulent your plant is.
Color
Examine your succulent and look at the color of the stems, flowers and leaves.
Leaf
Look closely at the thickness, size and shape of the leaves. Also the number of leaves can make a difference between individual succulent species.
Plus, some succulent plants also have distinctive bumps or markings on their leaves.
Stem
Take a closer look at the length of the plant’s stem. Also the texture and color can tell you what type of succulent you are looking at.
Flowers
When your succulent is flowering, examine the shape and color of the flowers. You can also tell the difference between succulents from the petals per bloom and the number of flowers.
Ciliate Hairs
Ciliates are tiny hairs on the surface of your succulent but not every succulent species has these small hairs.
Epicuticular Wax
Epicuticular wax is a waxy coating on the outer surfaces of a plant. If your succulent produces epicuticular wax, it usually has a whitish or bluish color.
Plant Surface
Check your plant’s surface. Is it smooth, or does it have spines or spikes?
Shape And Size Of The Plant
If your plant is already mature, you can use the overall shape and size of the succulent to distinguish it from other grown succulents.
Growing Conditions
If you spot a succulent plant in the wild, you can roughly guess its growing conditions, which typically depend on water availability, humidity and temperature.
In fact, the growing temperature and cold hardiness of a succulent is an essential distinction criterion as not all succulent plants can withstand extreme temperatures.
Identifying Succulents With An Identification App
Another fantastic way to identify your succulent is by using a plant identification app, such as the Picture This app.
All you have to do is open the app and take a photo of the plant you want to identify. The application then gives you a name and a few more pictures of the succulent.
If the other pictures look just like your succulent, then you can accept a match link and learn more about the plant’s growing conditions as well as watering and lighting needs.
If your photo doesn’t return a match, you can share it with the app community and check if anyone else can identify the succulent.
While this technology can be very useful in identifying your plant, it’s worth doing some research on the matching plant to ensure that it’s correct.
Talk To Other Gardeners
Talking to a fellow gardener about your plant may be a bit more time-consuming but equally rewarding.
The gardening community loves sharing their knowledge and ideas, so it’s great to connect to other people through your identification search.
You can join a gardening project in your local area or head online to share your succulent photos on Facebook groups where someone may recognize the plant.
Social media communities are also an excellent way to share gardening tips and tricks.
Types Of Succulents: Identification Chart
Here are some of the most common indoor succulent houseplants and outdoor succulents with their key identification characteristics and pictures.
Aeonium
Also known as tree houseleeks, Aeonium covers around 35 species of subtropical succulents. Many of these plants are popular gardening and horticulture plants. Aeonium are native to East Africa and the Canary Islands.
Leaves: Aeoniums have spoon-shaped fleshy leaves that can be green, purple, black, or variegated and grow in a rosette formation, with the leaves arranged in a circular pattern around a central stem. Their leaves are thinner and not as plump as some other succulents. They can have tiny teeth along the edges of the leaves.
Stems: The stems of Aeoniums are often woody and can be branched or unbranched.
Flowers: Aeoniums produce small, star-shaped flowers that grow in clusters on the end of long stalks. Their rosette leaves and coloration are so pretty that the plants themselves look like flowers!
Agave
Agave are well-known plants native to hot and dry regions of South America, Mexico in particular where they are known for tequila production. Agave are popular succulents thanks to their large fleshy, leaves and beautiful rosettes.
Leaves: Agaves have thick, fleshy leaves that are often arranged in a rosette at the base of the plant. The leaves are usually stiff, pointed, and sometimes have sharp spines along the edges.
Flowers: Agaves are monocarpic, meaning they flower only once in their lifetime. The flowering stalk can grow up to several meters tall and is usually branched with many small flowers.
Aloe
Aloes are native to Africa and Madagascar. With over 500 different species of aloe, there are many different shapes and sizes, but in general, they have the following characteristics:
Leaves: Aloe leaves are typically thick and fleshy with spines or serrated edges growing in a circular or rosette pattern around a central stem. The leaves are often green or blue-green in color, but can also be variegated or reddish.
Flowers: Aloe plants produce tall spikes of tubular flowers that grow from the center of the rosette. The flowers are typically red, orange, yellow, or pink, and bloom in the winter or spring.
Anacampseros
Anacampseros covers over a hundred species of small perennial succulents from South Africa, with most species growing no more than a few inches tall.
They are typically small plants and undershrubs that form large ground cover with a dense texture.
Leaves: Thick, fleshy leaves that grow in small, circular rosettes around a central stem. They are typically green, red, or purple, and can be smooth or covered in fine hairs.
Antimima
Antimima is native to the arid regions of Namibia and South Africa. This species grows in dense mats and cushions across the ground.
It looks similar to Ruschia, another popular succulent, and Antimima’s were classified as Ruschia until small differences in structure were found. Both are members of the Aizoaceae plant family, which also includes Lithops.
Leaves: Antimima plants typically have tiny, cylindrical leaves that are arranged in opposite pairs along the stems.
Stems: The stems of Antimima plants are usually gray-green, but can also be pink or reddish.
Flowers: Antimima plants produce small, star-shaped flowers in shades of pink, white, or yellow.
Astridia
Astridia is also a member of the Aizoaceae plant family, native to Southern Africa. There are more than 15 different subspecies of Astridia. They are named after the wife of the German botanist, Gustav Schwantes, who discovered this species in the early 1900s.
Leaves: Astridia plants have thick, fleshy leaves that form in opposite pairs along the stems.
Flowers: The flowers of Astridia plants are daisy-shaped and can be pink, red, orange, white, or yellow.
Avonia
Part of the Portulacaceae family, Avonia is a more recent genus as it used to fall under the genus of Anacampseros. They are native to Southern Africa.
Leaves: Avonia plants have tiny, cylindrical leaves arranged in clusters along the stems. They are low-growing and mat-forming, with stems that spread outwards from a central point.
Stems: The stems of Avonia plants are usually gray-green or brown and woody in appearance.
Flowers: Avonia plants bloom with petal flowers in shades of pink, white, or yellow.
Cactus
Cactus is a generic name for over 1,500 types of succulents that have fleshy stems rather than leaves. The fleshy stems are green and most have spiky thorns covering the plant.
Flowers: Cacti flowers are typically large and showy, with bright colors and often a sweet fragrance. They usually grow at the top of the stem or on the side of a flattened stem.
Callisia
Callisia succulents are commonly called roselings thanks to their beautiful appearance. In fact, the Greek translation of this genus’ name means “beauty”. They are native to the Americas. They are low-growing and can form dense mats of foliage or can be used to great effect in a hanging basket where their foliage will trail beautifully.
Leaves: Callisia plants have leaves arranged along the stems in an alternate or opposite pattern. Leaves can be green, purple, or variegated, and are usually slightly fleshy.
Flowers: Callisia plants produce small flowers that are usually green or white in color.
They thrive in low-light, high-humidity environments. Perfect for a bathroom.
Ceropegia
Ceropegia is a genus of plants native to tropical and subtropical regions of Australia, South Asia and Africa. Most Ceropegia species are climbers or trailing plants with long, slender stems that can grow several meters long – perfect for a hanging basket.
Many Ceropegia species are known for their unique pollination mechanism, which involves trapping small flies inside the flower until they have picked up enough pollen to fertilize the next flower.
Ceropegia is known under a variety of common names, which usually refer to the plant’s unusual flowers or leaf shape; names such as lantern flower, parasol flower, parachute flower, bushman’s pipe, string of hearts, snake creeper, wine-glass vine, rosary vine, and necklace vine.
Leaves: Ceropegia leaves are usually green or variegated and flat, growing in opposite pairs off a long, thin stem.
Flowers: Ceropegia flowers are unique and have a distinctive shape, often resembling a small, inflated balloon or parachute. They come in various colors, including shades of purple, pink, green, and yellow.
Conophytum
Conophytum is a genus of succulents that originally comes from Namibia and parts of South Africa. They are small succulents, typically growing only a couple of inches tall and wide.
The plant is also known by common names such as button plant, cone plant, conos, waterblasies or knopies due to their cone-shaped or button-like appearance.
Leaves: The leaves of Conophytum plants are fleshy and succulent, often with a translucent appearance. They may be round, oval, or elongated in shape and range in color from green to brown to reddish. Two leaves grow from the center of each plant. The leaves may be fused together or separate.
Flowers: Conophytum plants produce small, daisy-like flowers in shades of pink, purple, white, or yellow. The flowers are often fragrant and appear from the center of the plant.
Cotyledon
Cotyledon are popular succulent plants that originate from the dry parts of Africa. They are commonly known as “pig’s ears” or “kitten’s ears” due to their thick, fleshy, and often round, bulbous leaves. Bear Paw is another example of a cotyledon.
Leaves: The leaves of Cotyledon plants are thick, fleshy, and often round or oval-shaped. They may be smooth or have a slightly fuzzy or hairy texture. The leaves are typically green or gray-green, but some species have variegated or reddish leaves.
Stems: Cotyledon plants have stout, woody stems that may be branching or unbranched. The stems are typically short, growing only a few inches long.
Flowers: Cotyledon plants bloom with tubular or bell-shaped flowers in shades of pink, red, orange, or yellow. The flowers grow on long, slender stems.
Crassula
Crassula is a succulent genus covering over 200 varieties of succulents, including the famous Crassula ovata (also known as the Jade Plant).
Leaves: The leaves of Crassula plants are thick, fleshy, and often triangular or oval-shaped. They may be smooth or have a slightly fuzzy or waxy texture. The leaves are typically green, but some species have variegated or reddish leaves. The leaves are often ‘stacked’ on top of each other producing stunning-looking plants.
Stems: Crassula plants have woody or semi-woody stems that may be branching or unbranched. The stems are typically short, growing only a few inches long.
Flowers: Crassula plants produce small, star-shaped flowers in shades of pink, white, or red.
Echeveria
Echeveria plants are commonly known as Hens and Chicks because of their ability to produce offsets – chicks (baby plants) around the base of the parent (hen) plant.
Leaves: Plump, spoon-shaped leaves with a pointy end and smooth edges that grow in an architectural circular rosette around a central stem. The leaves may be smooth or have a slightly fuzzy or waxy texture. They are usually green but there are variegated species or some with reddish leaves or edges.
Flowers; Echeveria have bell-shaped flowers that bloom from stems that emerge between leaves.
Echidnopsis
Echidnopsis look similar to cacti but they are their own succulent genus. Native to the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa, these plants are commonly known as “sea urchin cacti” or “hedgehog cacti” due to their spherical or cylindrical shape and dense covering of spines.
Shape: Echidnopsis plants are typically spherical or cylindrical in shape, although some species may have a more elongated or columnar shape. The plants may be solitary or grow in clusters.
Flowers: Echidnopsis plants produce large, showy flowers in shades of pink, red, orange, yellow, or white. The flowers may be funnel-shaped, trumpet-shaped, or star-shaped, depending on the species.
Euphorbia
The Euphorbia succulent genus contains over 2,000 varieties. The majority of Euphorbia species come from Madagascar and Africa.
Euphorbia vary greatly in appearance; some look like cacti with thick, spiny stems, while others look succulent-like with thick fleshy leaves.
Leaves: The leaves of Euphorbia plants vary in shape and size. In some species, the leaves are reduced to small scales or spines, while in others they are large and fleshy.
Flowers: Euphorbia plants produce some spectacular flowers. Euphorbia Mili (Crown of Thorns), pictured above and below, is just one example.
Gasteria
Gasteria succulents are very similar in appearance to aloes but there are some key differences in leaf structure. They are known by the common name of ox tongue (and sometimes cow tongue or lawyer’s tongue) because of their long, rough textured leaves. Check out our article on Gasteria Little Warty.
Leaves: Gasteria have long, tongue-shaped leaves covered in small dots and bumps, giving them a rough, uneven texture. They are usually green with white markings.
Flowers: It’s the flowers that distinguish Gasteria from their cousins in the Aloe and Haworthia families. The flowers are shaped like a stomach. “Gasteria” comes from the Latin word “gaster,” meaning “stomach”. The flowers are pink, orange, red, green or cream.
Haworthia
Leaves: Some Haworthia have chubby leaves that are densely packed in a rosette-looking formation – the leaves can be almost translucent in appearance. While others have long, spear-shaped leaves with white markings similar to aloes. However, unlike an aloe, the edges of the leaves are not serrated. Haworthia leaves are usually triangular in shape with a pointed end.
Flowers: Haworthia’s are slow growing and difficult to get to produce flowers. When they do, they bloom with small white flowers on the end of an extremely long stalk that grows from the stem of the plant.
Kalanchoe
Kalanchoe plants are native to Madagascar and Africa. They are popular for their bright, colorful, long-lasting flowers. Mother of Millions and Mother of Thousands are both kalanchoes.
Leaves: They have large, thick, fleshy leaves with a waxy coating. In some species, the leaves are covered in tiny hairs that give them a velvety texture. The edges of the leaves may be smooth, serrated, or have small teeth. Some species have leaves with scalloped edges.
Flowers: Kalanchoe have very showy flowers that bloom in shades of pink, red, orange, yellow, and white. The flowers of kalanchoe plants are long-lasting and can bloom for several weeks at a time.
Rhombophyllum
Rhombophyllum is one of the succulent genera with the fewest plant species. Native to South Africa, these lovely plants have distinctive leaf shapes and bright, yellow flowers.
Leaves: Rhombophyllum plants have fleshy, green leaves with a diamond-shaped or triangular cross-section, hence the name “rhombus”, which means a diamond-shaped figure. The leaves are arranged in pairs along the stem. They have a smooth surface and are covered in tiny hairs, which give them a velvety texture. The leaves change color depending on the amount of sunlight they receive. In low light conditions, the leaves are green, but when exposed to bright sunlight, they turn a reddish-brown color. The leaves can have unusual shapes, such as the example pictured above, which is commonly known as the Elkhorn Plant because of the shape of the leaves.
Flowers: Rhombophyllum plants bloom with yellow, daisy-like flowers that can be tinged with red on the underside of the petals.
Sansevieria
Sansevieria is a stunning flowering plant that’s often known as Mother-in-law’s tongue or Snake Plant. There are around 70 different varieties. The species is native to South Asia, Madagascar and Africa.
Sansevieria plants are known for their upright, sword-shaped leaves.
Leaves: Sansevieria plants have long, upright leaves that are typically sword-shaped or cylindrical. The leaves may be variegated with light and dark green or yellow stripes. The leaves are thick and leathery, with a smooth or slightly rough texture.
Flowers: Sansevieria plants produce a long, slender stalk that grows up from the center of the plant and produces clusters of small, tubular-shaped flowers which may be white, cream, or greenish-yellow in color.
Sedum
Sedum succulents cover a wide variety of plants in different shapes and colors. Sedum is one of the most difficult succulent types to identify because it has many varieties and morphological differences. Many sedums are stunning and make wonderful additions to your home or outdoor garden.
Leaves: Sedum plants have fleshy, thick leaves often arranged in a circular rosette pattern, flat-rose structure or stacked on top of each other. The leaves may be smooth or slightly hairy, and can range in color from green to red, pink, purple, or blue. The leaves of Sedum plants may be round, oval, lance-shaped, or spatulate, depending on the species.
Flowers: The flowers of Sedum plants are typically small and star-shaped, with petals that are often pink, white, yellow, or red in color. The grow in clusters at the end of short, sturdy stems.
Sempervivum
Sempervivum, is another rosette plant with beautiful leaf arrangements that look like flowers. Sempervivum varieties are known commonly as hens and chicks houseleek plants because of the chicks – or young offsets – that grow around the mother, or hen, plant. There are over 40 varieties of Sempervivum. Originating from the mountains of Southern and Central Europe, they are generally a tough, Alpine succulent that can withstand cold temperatures.
Leaves: Sempervivum have oval-shaped leaves with pointy tips and tiny teeth on the edges. The leaves are thick and fleshy, with a waxy coating and can be covered in fine hairs. Leaves are arranged in a rosette pattern with colors ranging from green to red and even purple.
Flowers: They produce star-shaped flowers on a long stem that grows from the center of plant.
Senecio
Senecio plants are quite varied in appearance; from trailing vines with leaves that can be bead-shaped, banana-shaped, even dolphin-shaped, through to upright bushy plants with long-fleshy leaves.
Leaves: Senecio leaves range from green, variegated to whitish and even blue and purple. The shapes can be round, bead-liked, banana-shaped, hook shaped or long and fleshy.
Flowers: Flowers are daisy-like and yellow or red-orange.
Final Thoughts
With so many different succulent species across the world, it can be challenging to identify the right type. And let’s face it, many of the species have similar characteristics. Luckily, there are some easy identification tools, such as apps, that make identifying types of succulents easier. If in doubt, you can always post to a social group or take your plant to your local garden center.
You will, no doubt agree, that were are some absolutely beautiful succulents and we’re sure that scrolling through, you’ll have seen some stunners that you’d love to add to your collection.
