Succulents have an amazing variety of flowers from the intricate stapeliad flowers to the splendour of the mesemb.

Many species require a paintbrush to pollinate the flowers while others require magnifying glasses and patience (personally I enlist the aid of Mother Nature, she does a much better job than what I do).

A succulent (from the Latin word 'succos', meaning juice) is a plant that has evolved various ways to survive its hostile environment. These plants are able to store moisture in succulent tissue that either occurs in their leaves (Lithops, Haworthia), stems (Huernia, most cacti) or rootstock (Brachystelma, Ceropegia). One of these features is prominent in all succulents.

Leaf Succulents

In species that are classified as leaf succulents, nearly the whole leaf is composed of water storage tissue. Leaf succulents have extremely short stems which may appear to be non-existent. The entire leaf is covered in a thin layer of assimilating tissue that absorbs water and carbon dioxide and converts them to food.

Different species have evolved different methods to prevent water loss. crassulas have a wax-like skin to prevent water loss, lithops and conophytum have a small evaporative areas while other species form rosettes (aloes, haworthias, etc) with compacted leaves which gives the plants protection from the sun, these rosettes also prevent moisture loss from the plant as well as the underlying soil. In times of extreme drought leaf succulents will shed their leaves.

Below are few samples of cacti plants

Caudiciform succulents or Cryptic succulents

Some succulents store water in both their roots and stems, these succulents are known as caudiciforms. The leaves and/or stems of most caudiciforms are deciduous and will be shed during the dry season.

Caudiciforms survive long dry periods on their large reservoirs of moisture stored in their roots and stems.

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