What Kind of Succulent Should I Get

One press picks a succulent to look for, with its botanical name and where it grows wild.

What Kind of Succulent Should I Get

Show all 23
  1. Jade plantCrassula ovata. From KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape in South Africa, and from Mozambique.

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How it works

Starting a windowsill, or adding to a shelf that is already full? Press the button for one succulent grown as a houseplant. The full list holds 75.

Read the full guide

Search by the botanical name

Common names are shared between plants. Money tree is a name for the jade plant and also for another plant, Pachira aquatica, and most plants labelled Haworthiopsis fasciata are really Haworthiopsis attenuata, the zebra haworthia. The botanical name is the one to look up.

Where it grows wild is a clue

Living stones come from southern Africa, where they pass for small stones and escape being eaten. A Christmas cactus comes from shady, humid coastal mountains in Brazil, where it grows on trees and rocks. The two suit different spots.

  • This list says nothing on whether a plant is safe around pets or small children, so check before you bring one home.

Questions and answers

What is the easiest succulent to keep alive?

Wikipedia’s articles say the jade plant needs little water and survives most indoor conditions, the snake plant gets by on very little water and sun, and the elephant bush is an easy houseplant for a sunny spot.

Is a cactus a succulent?

To a botanist, yes: cacti are succulents. Growers often use the word for the other families only, which is why so many books are titled cacti and succulents. This list holds both.

What is the difference between hens and chicks and echeveria?

They are different plants from different places. Hens and chicks is a name for houseleeks such as Sempervivum tectorum, from the mountains of southern Europe. Echeverias such as the Mexican snowball come from semi-desert Mexico.

What succulents hang or trail?

String of pearls trails along the ground in the wild. String of hearts, string of bananas and burro’s tail are grown as houseplants in hanging baskets or containers, with the stems hanging down.

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All 75 succulents

Grown as houseplants 23

  • Aloe vera Aloe vera. From the Arabian Peninsula; it now grows wild in warm, dry places around the world.
  • Burro’s tail Sedum morganianum. From southern Mexico.
  • Century plant Agave americana. From Mexico and from Texas in the United States.
  • Christmas cactus Schlumbergera. From the coastal mountains of southeastern Brazil, where it grows on trees and rocks.
  • Elephant bush Portulacaria afra. From South Africa, from the Little Karoo east into the Eastern Cape.
  • Flaming Katy Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. From Madagascar.
  • Jade plant Crassula ovata. From KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape in South Africa, and from Mozambique.
  • Living stones Lithops. From southern Africa, where they pass for small stones.
  • Moon cactus Gymnocalycium mihanovichii. From Paraguay and northeast Bolivia. The bright kinds are grafted plants.
  • October stonecrop Hylotelephium sieboldii. From Japan.
  • Penwiper Kalanchoe marmorata. From central and East Africa.
  • Ponytail palm Beaucarnea recurvata. From eastern Mexico. It is not a true palm.
  • Ruby necklace Crassothonna capensis. From the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
  • Sand dollar cactus Astrophytum asterias. From small parts of Texas and Mexico.
  • Short-leaved aloe Aloe brevifolia. From the Western Cape of South Africa.
  • Silver jade plant Crassula arborescens. From the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
  • Snake plant Dracaena trifasciata. From tropical West Africa, from Nigeria east to the Congo.
  • String of bananas Curio radicans. From southern Africa.
  • String of hearts Ceropegia woodii. From South Africa, Eswatini and Zimbabwe.
  • String of pearls Curio rowleyanus. From the Cape Provinces of South Africa, where its stems trail on the ground.
  • Watch chain Crassula muscosa. From South Africa and Namibia.
  • Wax plant Hoya carnosa. From East Asia.
  • Zebra haworthia Haworthiopsis attenuata. From the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

Trailing and hanging 2

  • Rat tail cactus Aporocactus flagelliformis. From dry forests in Hidalgo, Mexico.
  • Trailing ice plant Delosperma cooperi. From South Africa.

Stonecrop family 20

  • Bear’s paw Cotyledon tomentosa. From the Little Karoo of South Africa.
  • Buttons on a string Crassula rupestris. From Namibia and the Cape Provinces of South Africa.
  • Campfire plant Crassula capitella. From southern Africa.
  • Cobweb houseleek Sempervivum arachnoideum. From the Alps, the Apennines and the Carpathians.
  • Common houseleek (hens and chicks) Sempervivum tectorum. From the mountains of southern Europe.
  • Coppertone stonecrop Sedum adolphi. From Mexico, where it grows in rocky ground and on cliff faces.
  • Ghost plant Graptopetalum paraguayense. From Tamaulipas, Mexico, in spite of its name.
  • Giant chalk dudleya Dudleya brittonii. From a small stretch of coast in northern Baja California, Mexico.
  • Goldmoss stonecrop Sedum acre. From Europe, northern and western Asia and North Africa.
  • Jelly bean plant Sedum rubrotinctum. From Mexico.
  • Lipstick echeveria Echeveria agavoides. From the rocky canyons and dry hillsides of central Mexico.
  • Mexican firecracker Echeveria setosa. From semi-desert areas of Mexico, common throughout Puebla.
  • Mexican snowball Echeveria elegans. From semi-desert habitats in Mexico.
  • Moonstones Pachyphytum oviferum. From rocky cliffs in the state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
  • Paddle plant Kalanchoe luciae. From northeast South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
  • Panda plant Kalanchoe tomentosa. From Madagascar.
  • Pig’s ear Cotyledon orbiculata. From South Africa.
  • Plush plant Echeveria pulvinata. From southwest and central Mexico.
  • Showy stonecrop Hylotelephium spectabile. From China and Korea.
  • Tree aeonium Aeonium arboreum. From the western Canary Islands.

Aloes, agaves and their kin 10

  • African spear Dracaena angolensis. From Angola.
  • Candelabra aloe Aloe arborescens. From the southeastern part of southern Africa.
  • Foxtail agave Agave attenuata. From Mexico.
  • Keeled gasteria Gasteria carinata. From the Western Cape of South Africa.
  • Lace aloe Aristaloe aristata. From South Africa and Lesotho.
  • Queen Victoria agave Agave victoriae-reginae. From the Chihuahuan Desert in Coahuila, Durango and Nuevo León, Mexico.
  • Spider aloe Aloe humilis. From the Cape Province of South Africa.
  • Spiral aloe Aloe polyphylla. From the Drakensberg mountains of Lesotho.
  • Tiger aloe Gonialoe variegata. From South Africa and Namibia.
  • Tiger-tooth aloe Aloe juvenna. From Kenya, where it is extremely rare in the wild.

Cacti 9

  • Bishop’s cap cactus Astrophytum myriostigma. From the highlands of northeastern and central Mexico.
  • Bunny ears cactus Opuntia microdasys. From central and northern Mexico.
  • Easter cactus Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri. From Paraná and Santa Catarina in southeastern Brazil.
  • Gold lace cactus Mammillaria elongata. From central Mexico.
  • Golden barrel cactus Kroenleinia grusonii. From east-central Mexico.
  • Mistletoe cactus Rhipsalis baccifera. From Central and South America, the Caribbean and Florida, and found in tropical Africa.
  • Old lady cactus Mammillaria hahniana. From central Mexico.
  • Peanut cactus Echinopsis chamaecereus. From northwestern Argentina and Bolivia.
  • Queen of the night Epiphyllum oxypetalum. From Mexico to Nicaragua. It blooms at night.

From Africa and Arabia 8

  • Baby toes Fenestraria. From Namaqualand in Namibia and the Cape Provinces of South Africa.
  • Blue chalksticks Curio repens. From the Cape Province of South Africa.
  • Cocoon plant Caputia tomentosa. From the Cape Provinces of South Africa.
  • Jewel plant Titanopsis calcarea. From South Africa, where only its leaf tips show above the sand.
  • Split rock Pleiospilos nelii. From the Karoo of South Africa.
  • Starfish cactus Orbea variegata. From the coast of the Western Cape, South Africa. It is not a true cactus.
  • String of watermelons Curio herreanus. From Namibia.
  • Tiger jaws Faucaria tigrina. From the southern Cape Provinces of South Africa.

From Mexico and the Americas 2

  • Moss rose Portulaca grandiflora. From southern Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
  • Ruby glow peperomia Peperomia graveolens. From Ecuador.

From Madagascar, the Canaries, Europe and Asia 1

  • Madagascar palm Pachypodium lamerei. From Madagascar. It is not a palm.