Welcome to the wonderful and weird world of succulents! These ornamental plants come in some very surprising shapes that make them look like something from a fantasy illustrator’s dreams. Bored Panda’s green thumb employees have delicately grown and cultivated this list about some of the most awesome succulents you’ll ever see. So scroll down, upvote your faves, and share this post with your plant-loving pals.
If you keep any succulent-buddies at home or at work, we’d love to see photos of them in the comment section below, dear Pandas. We’d also appreciate it if you could share any tips for growing them. You know, for those of us who give our succulents a bit too much love, attention, and water.
Succulents are excellent at surviving in dry climates and nearly all cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti. Succulents are very popular plants. Odds are that if you stroll through any office, you’ll spot at least one of them. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to take care of their succulents—I can tell you from firsthand experience that it’s a lot harder than it should be!
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Clear Succulent Plant
There's a few plants that have these kind of "widnows" on top of their leaves (google "leaf window"). They are adapted to very harsh, hot climates. The windows allow them to remain mostly buried in the soil and keep the photosynthesizing part of the leaf protected from the harsh conditions while still being able to collect light.
Rose Succulents
Bunny Succulents
Some of the fantastically strange plants like the mermaid tail or the opal-like clear succulents look like they’re from another planet and something that aliens keep on their alien desks in their alien offices.
If you want to get one of these peculiar succulents for yourself or for your loved ones as a gift, the mermaid one is called a crested Senecio Vitalis while the clear one is the Haworthia Cooperi plant.
Haworthia succulents are popular because of their “leaf windows” which let in a lot of light for the plant. The “windows” also minimize water loss from evaporation because the rest of the plant is buried underground. Haworthia plants also have accordion-like roots that pull them deeper into the ground so that they can thrive.
Unusual Succulent
Trachyandra
According to Reddit, Haworthia plants are easy to take care of and are great succulents for beginners: just pop them on the windowsill and they’ll be happy. Especially if you plop it into some gritty soil.
In general, succulents need plenty of light and you need to rotate them occasionally so all parts of it can enjoy the sun and to help it grow straight.
Overwatering is a big no-no, so check the soil regularly: if it’s dry, get your watering can ready. Also, keep in mind that succulents need more water during Spring and Summer and barely need any in Fall and Winter when they’re ‘resting.’ Finally, wipe the dust off your succulents to help them grow and become your picture-perfect plant-pals.
Lithops
They look like brains but also like candy and now I feel a little like a zombie...
They also look like recreational drugs from anti-drug pamphlets.
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I have a lithops and I love it! It looks like a butt, lol. A few weeks ago, it opened up and a new lithops came out of the old one. So strange. You can see a few going through this same process in the photo.
My lithops keep dying on me. The look happy and then just collapse. These guys are not easy to grow!
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They are supposed to look like rocks for protection, but are very beautiful and strange plants
Those interesting patterns on top are actually translucent so the inside of the plant can get the sunlight it needs to grow. (I love lithops.)
I adore lithops. (I didn't know until recently that those top layers with the interesting markings are actually translucent, and most of the growth takes place INSIDE the plant!)
I wondered what this horrific smell was, I was spraring my babies when I noticed these - otherwise doing great, I called butt Crack succulents were doing. I slightly moved one and it jellyfied in my hand and the stench was awful! I survived for about 3 weeks longer, then it did the same.
I have only seen one color of these. I didn't know they came in that many colors. They are beautiful!
My favorite. The brain succulent. And looks like cell division.
First pic. tiny feet. Second pic. They all pop up and yell Surprise!!
Very difficult to keep, I have tried for years and finally gave up. I have killed far to many.
They look like brains... but also butts. Brain butts! Wait no... Buttbrains! Or as common folk call it; buttheads.
Nope.... these aren't baby toes. Baby toes is another succulent.
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Echeveria
Conophytum Bilobum
Succulent
Euphorbia
I honestly thought this was a beaded pincushion upon first glance. I had to Google it, and supposedly it is called "euphorbia obesa" and it does indeed look like the photo above. Pretty amazing!
Kalanchoe
Stapelia
Dolphin Succulents
Boophone Haemanthoides
Unusual Succulent
Mermaid Tail Succulent
Pageae
Orbea Variegata (Starfish Plant)
Ooh, I have this one too! Cool plant, awesome flowers which are made to resemble rotten flesh from the color and surface structure (Yes, you read that right. It's called a carrion flower). Striking and beautiful, needs a lot of hear and sun. But it's best put in a more airy place where you wont stay long enough to be bothered by the occasional waft of air blowing the smell into your direction... the flowers smell like rotting flesh, too, after a day or two. Thankfully not that strong, you hardly notice from about a meter away, but you definitely don't want to have it close to your couch.
Myrtillocactus Geometrizans Succulent
Gentiana Urnula
Stringofpearls
Crassula Umbella
Lithops
Aeonium
Klubrostok
Bowiea Volubulis
I did look at the entire photo before 100% concluding... anything Bowie is gonna be cool! I didn't really doubt it tho' :) #should2did
Unusual Succulent
Stapelia
Note: this post originally had 69 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Thank you so much for all your comments to tell us about these succulents. Very informative and much appreciated!
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fish: fish...that is because someone was too lazy too Google the images and get the names.
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Please remove my images from your article used in promoting other shops. I have not been asked or consented to the use of my images. While I'm ok with people sharing my photos on instagram out of interest, I'm not ok when someone uses my images to profit off of. I have never bought my plants from these shops and find it misleading to potential buyers. @chonkysuccs
I love succulents!! The flowers may have no smell at all, but they're so beautiful!! ❤
Oh, them being succulents has nothing to do with them having fragrant flowers or not! That depends mostly on how they're pollinated (and whether the human breeding them desired that trait). If smell increases the attraction to the pollinator, the flowers will smell - for better or for worse. Nocturnal moths are attracted to smell, resulting in more bland but very sweet-smelling flowers, but e.g. carrion flies are attracted to smell, too, and the plants that specialized on them smell absolutely foul!
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I had no idea that there were these many different kinds of succulents. That's pretty amazing!
Oh look more succulents that I want but will kill like all my others...my aloe is only alive because my son took over it's care for a while..almost killed one leaving it outside over night last week!! But I will share and direct some plant queens to it!
the best care is to put in eastern/south side and to forget about plants :D more you care about them quickly you kill it. If you buy it from not a flower shops, then leave as it is for a week or two, cause usually staff water it too much and you just bring it home, repott, water and it dye after few days. After repott, don't water for ~week.
Load More Replies... One succulent that I like that isn’t pictured is Haemanthus (aka elephants tongue). The flower it produces isn’t that pretty, I just like the weird directions the leaves go and the type of leaves which make it interesting to me.
#17.. not a succulent. It's an air plant. Please google them at least.
I love succulents, i have bunch of them and plants who survives under my care XD just little bit sad, that here cold period is 6 months and during that time mostly have cloudy days, so some of them lost it's nice shape. I love echeverias, but they look really ugly after cold period. And mealybugs are nightmare, so hard to rid of them if you get it once ><
Fantastic! The only one I've ever seen, or own, is the kalanchoe. Mine was never that big though. I know feel succulents are my favorite type of plant henceforth. I never have seen so many interesting plants before! Amazing.
I love succulents! I finally own my own home and can plant them right in the ground. I'll be surrounded by them. :)
Thank you so much for all your comments to tell us about these succulents. Very informative and much appreciated!
Load More Replies... fish: fish...that is because someone was too lazy too Google the images and get the names.
Load More Replies... Please remove my images from your article used in promoting other shops. I have not been asked or consented to the use of my images. While I'm ok with people sharing my photos on instagram out of interest, I'm not ok when someone uses my images to profit off of. I have never bought my plants from these shops and find it misleading to potential buyers. @chonkysuccs
I love succulents!! The flowers may have no smell at all, but they're so beautiful!! ❤
Oh, them being succulents has nothing to do with them having fragrant flowers or not! That depends mostly on how they're pollinated (and whether the human breeding them desired that trait). If smell increases the attraction to the pollinator, the flowers will smell - for better or for worse. Nocturnal moths are attracted to smell, resulting in more bland but very sweet-smelling flowers, but e.g. carrion flies are attracted to smell, too, and the plants that specialized on them smell absolutely foul!
Load More Replies... I had no idea that there were these many different kinds of succulents. That's pretty amazing!
Oh look more succulents that I want but will kill like all my others...my aloe is only alive because my son took over it's care for a while..almost killed one leaving it outside over night last week!! But I will share and direct some plant queens to it!
the best care is to put in eastern/south side and to forget about plants :D more you care about them quickly you kill it. If you buy it from not a flower shops, then leave as it is for a week or two, cause usually staff water it too much and you just bring it home, repott, water and it dye after few days. After repott, don't water for ~week.
Load More Replies... One succulent that I like that isn’t pictured is Haemanthus (aka elephants tongue). The flower it produces isn’t that pretty, I just like the weird directions the leaves go and the type of leaves which make it interesting to me.
#17.. not a succulent. It's an air plant. Please google them at least.
I love succulents, i have bunch of them and plants who survives under my care XD just little bit sad, that here cold period is 6 months and during that time mostly have cloudy days, so some of them lost it's nice shape. I love echeverias, but they look really ugly after cold period. And mealybugs are nightmare, so hard to rid of them if you get it once ><
Fantastic! The only one I've ever seen, or own, is the kalanchoe. Mine was never that big though. I know feel succulents are my favorite type of plant henceforth. I never have seen so many interesting plants before! Amazing.
I love succulents! I finally own my own home and can plant them right in the ground. I'll be surrounded by them. :)
