**Succulent Identification Chart — Rosettes, Trailers and Cacti**

> Free succulent identification key for 28 common house and garden succulents. Filter by growth form, leaf shape and flower, with toxic ones marked.

Source: https://orvik.app/tools/succulent-identifier/ · updated: 2026-09-04

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# What succulent is this?

Succulence is a strategy, not a family — it has evolved dozens of separate times, which is why an aloe and an agave look alike and are not related. Sort by **growth form first**: a flat rosette, an upright column, a trailing stem, a clump of pads. Then the leaf shape and the flower place the genus.

Entries **28** Filters **4** Updated **2026-09-04** Cost **Free, no account**

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Search succulents by name

Growth form

Flat rosette Upright stem or shrub Trailing or hanging Clump of columns or pads Ball or barrel Stemless, ground-hugging

Leaves

Thick and fleshy Sword-like or pointed Beads, pearls or fingers Spines instead of leaves Translucent windows or stripes Hairy or powdery

Colour

Plain green Blue-grey or silver Striped or variegated Red, pink or purple tinted

Practicalities

Survives frost outdoors Indoor only Toxic to pets Non-toxic Hard to kill

Showing all 28 succulents

1. ### Echeveria Echeveria species A neat symmetrical rosette of thick spoon-shaped leaves, usually with a chalky farina bloom that fingerprints permanently. Flowers arch out on a curved stalk from the side, not the centre. Size Rosette 5–30 cm Where Native to Mexico; the default garden-centre succulent worldwide. Confused with Sempervivum, which is frost-hardy, has thinner pointed leaves and flowers from the centre — and then that rosette dies. In the record 10,479 georeferenced records · half of them Mar–Aug · most distinctive in November · mostly from Mexico [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5362052)

2. ### Hens and chicks Sempervivum tectorum Tight rosettes of pointed leaves, often red-tipped, ringed by offsets on short runners. Survives serious frost — the name means "always alive". Size Rosette 3–10 cm Where European mountains; grown outdoors across the northern hemisphere. Risk The one that flowers dies afterwards, having set seed. The offsets carry on. In the record 43,781 georeferenced records · half of them May–Jul · most distinctive in July · mostly from France [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2985949)

3. ### Aloe vera Handle with care Aloe barbadensis Thick grey-green spears with soft white teeth along the edges, oozing clear gel when cut. Offsets freely from the base. Size Rosette 30–60 cm Where Windowsills worldwide; naturalised in dry climates. Confused with Agave, which has hard woody spines rather than soft teeth and no gel. Risk The yellow latex under the skin is toxic to dogs and cats — vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy. The clear inner gel is not the problem part. In the record 98 georeferenced records · half of them Feb–Apr · mostly from Mexico [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2777729)

4. ### Agave Handle with care Agave species A rigid rosette of thick fibrous leaves ending in a hard needle spine, usually with hooked spines along the margins. Leaves keep the imprint of the ones they grew pressed against. Size Rosette 30 cm to 3 m Where The Americas; landscape plants across the dry world. Risk Sap contains calcium oxalate and saponins and causes contact dermatitis, sometimes severe. Terminal spines cause eye injuries — trim them on plants near a path. In the record 120,762 georeferenced records · half of them Jan–Jun · most distinctive in November · mostly from Mexico [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2766430)

5. ### Haworthia Haworthiopsis and Haworthia species Small dark rosettes either banded with raised white pearly stripes (zebra plant) or with translucent windows at the leaf tips that let light down into buried leaves. Size Rosette 5–15 cm Where South Africa; a standard small houseplant. In the record 2,109 georeferenced records · half of them Feb–Jul · most distinctive in February · mostly from South Africa [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/9233780)

6. ### Gasteria Gasteria species Thick tongue-shaped mottled leaves growing in two opposite ranks rather than a spiral, with a rough sandpapery surface. Tolerates far less light than most succulents. Size 10–30 cm Where South Africa. In the record 2,207 georeferenced records · half of them Aug–Nov · most distinctive in November · mostly from South Africa [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2778529)

7. ### Jade plant Handle with care Crassula ovata A small tree with a thick woody trunk and glossy oval pads in opposite pairs, edged red in strong light. Lives for decades and is frequently inherited. Size 30 cm to 2 m Where South Africa; a classic windowsill plant everywhere. Risk Toxin unidentified. Causes vomiting, unsteady walking and a slowed heart rate in dogs and cats. In the record 2,321 georeferenced records · half of them Mar–Jul · most distinctive in February · mostly from South Africa [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5362063)

8. ### String of pearls Handle with care Curio rowleyanus Threadlike stems hung with spherical green beads, each with a thin translucent window along one side. Flowers smell of cinnamon. Size Strands to 90 cm Where South Africa; a hanging-basket favourite. Risk Toxic to dogs and cats, and the beads are exactly the shape a cat wants to bat off a shelf. In the record 23 georeferenced records · half of them Jun–Oct · mostly from South Africa [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3149649)

9. ### String of hearts Ceropegia woodii Fine purple threads carrying paired heart-shaped leaves marbled silver over dark green, purple underneath. Grows small round tubers along the stems. Size Strands to 2 m Where South Africa. In the record 139 georeferenced records · half of them Nov–Feb · mostly from South Africa [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3572767)

10. ### Burro's tail Sedum morganianum Thick hanging ropes densely packed with plump blue-grey leaves overlapping like a plaited tail. The leaves drop at the slightest touch — and each one roots into a new plant. Size Strands 30–90 cm Where Mexico. In the record 52 georeferenced records · half of them Feb–May · mostly from Mexico [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5690408)

11. ### Christmas cactus Schlumbergera species Flat segmented stems with scalloped edges, arching over the pot, with magenta or white flowers at the tips in midwinter. Needs more water and less sun than a desert cactus. Size 30–60 cm Where Brazilian rainforest, growing on trees rather than in deserts.
12. ### Snake plant Handle with care Dracaena trifasciata Stiff upright sword leaves banded grey-green with a yellow margin, growing in a tight clump from a rhizome. Tolerates deep shade and long neglect. Size 30 cm to 1.2 m Where West Africa; one of the most sold houseplants in the world. Risk Saponins cause vomiting and drooling in dogs and cats. In the record 2,951 georeferenced records · half of them Feb–Jun · most distinctive in November · mostly from Brazil [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/11041822)

13. ### ZZ plant Handle with care Zamioculcas zamiifolia Stiff arching stalks of thick waxy symmetrical leaflets rising from a potato-like rhizome. Survives months without water and very low light. Size 45–90 cm Where East Africa. Risk Calcium oxalates cause mouth and stomach irritation; the claim that it is extremely poisonous is not supported. In the record 188 georeferenced records · half of them Jan–Jun · most distinctive in December · mostly from South Africa [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2869014)

14. ### Ponytail palm Beaucarnea recurvata A swollen bulbous water-storing base topped with a fountain of long thin curling leaves. Neither a palm nor a tree — an agave relative. Size 30 cm to 3 m Where Mexico. In the record 551 georeferenced records · half of them May–Aug · most distinctive in August · mostly from Mexico [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2768035)

15. ### Kalanchoe Handle with care Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Thick scallop-edged leaves under dense flat-topped clusters of tiny four-petalled flowers in hot pink, orange, yellow or white. Size 20–40 cm Where Madagascar; sold as a flowering gift plant everywhere. Risk Bufadienolide cardiac glycosides. Usually vomiting, but large amounts affect heart rhythm in pets. In the record 325 georeferenced records · half of them Jan–Jun · most distinctive in March · mostly from Colombia [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2985944)

16. ### Mother of thousands Can injure you Kalanchoe daigremontiana Long arrowhead leaves fringed with rows of tiny complete plantlets that drop off and root wherever they land, including in the pots of every other plant in the room. Size 45–90 cm Where Madagascar; an invasive weed in warm climates. Risk Cardiac glycosides throughout. Has killed grazing livestock, and the plantlets scatter everywhere a pet might eat them. In the record 1,117 georeferenced records · half of them Jan–Jun · most distinctive in February · mostly from Spain [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2985936)

17. ### Aeonium Aeonium species Flat plate-like rosettes of thin glossy leaves held on top of bare woody stems, black-purple in the popular Zwartkop cultivar. Grows in winter and rests in summer — the reverse of most succulents. Size Rosette 10–30 cm on stems to 1 m Where The Canary Islands. In the record 17,654 georeferenced records · half of them Jan–May · most distinctive in December · mostly from Spain [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2985681)

18. ### Sedum and stonecrop Sedum species A very large genus of frost-hardy succulents from creeping ground-cover mats to the upright border sedums with flat pink flower heads in autumn. Star-shaped five-petalled flowers throughout. Size 5–60 cm Where Across the northern hemisphere. In the record 1,146,952 georeferenced records · half of them May–Jul · most distinctive in June · mostly from France [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5361975)

19. ### Living stones Lithops species A pair of fused fleshy leaves split by a slit, patterned to look exactly like a pebble, with a translucent window on top to let light down to buried tissue. A daisy-like flower emerges from the slit. Size 2–5 cm Where The deserts of Namibia and South Africa. Risk Killed by overwatering more than anything else. It uses no water at all while the new pair of leaves is absorbing the old one. In the record 569 georeferenced records · half of them Feb–Jun · most distinctive in November · mostly from South Africa [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3231652)

20. ### Prickly pear Handle with care Opuntia species Flat oval pads joined end to end, with large spines and — the real hazard — clusters of tiny barbed bristles called glochids at each areole. Size 30 cm to 4 m Where The Americas; naturalised across the Mediterranean, Australia and southern Africa. Risk Glochids detach on the lightest contact, are almost invisible, and are extremely hard to remove from skin. Handle with tongs and use tape or PVA glue to pull them out. In the record 331,834 georeferenced records · half of them Mar–Jul · most distinctive in November · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3084187)

21. ### Golden barrel cactus Kroenleinia grusonii A near-perfect ribbed sphere covered in stiff golden spines along the ridges, with white wool at the crown. Grows slowly for decades. Size 20 cm to 1 m Where A small area of central Mexico, endangered in the wild. In the record 110 georeferenced records · half of them Feb–May · mostly from Spain [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/10911827)

22. ### Bunny ears cactus Handle with care Opuntia microdasys Small oval pads in pairs like ears, with no long spines at all but dense tufts of white or gold glochids — which is why it is the most frequently regretted purchase in a garden centre. Size 30–60 cm Where Mexico. Risk Looks fuzzy and harmless. The glochids come off on anything that touches them. In the record 2,557 georeferenced records · half of them Jan–Jun · most distinctive in November · mostly from Mexico [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/7283961)

23. ### Old man cactus Cephalocereus senilis A slim column wrapped in long shaggy white hair, which shades the plant from the sun. Sharp spines hide underneath the hair. Size 30 cm to 5 m Where Eastern Mexico. In the record 168 georeferenced records · half of them Aug–Dec · most distinctive in December · mostly from Mexico [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/7283905)

24. ### Euphorbia — pencil cactus and African milk tree Can injure you Euphorbia tirucalli, E. trigona Looks like a cactus and is not: euphorbias have paired spines on ridges rather than spines from a woolly areole, and every part bleeds copious white latex when cut. Size 60 cm to 3 m Where Africa and Madagascar. Risk The latex is a severe irritant and causes serious chemical burns to the eye, sometimes with lasting damage. Wear gloves and eye protection when pruning, and wash immediately if sap contacts skin. In the record 5,377 georeferenced records · half of them Mar–Jul · most distinctive in April · mostly from South Africa [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/3069353)

25. ### Snake plant impostor: Sansevieria cylindrica Handle with care Dracaena angolensis Stiff round spears rather than flat blades, banded pale green, often sold braided. Same genus and same mild toxicity as the flat snake plant. Size 30–90 cm Where Angola. In the record 295 georeferenced records · half of them Jan–May · most distinctive in February · mostly from the United States [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/10961470)

26. ### Panda plant Handle with care Kalanchoe tomentosa Thick oval leaves covered in dense silvery felt, edged with chocolate-brown spots along the tips. Feels like suede. Size 30–45 cm Where Madagascar. Risk Kalanchoe cardiac glycosides, as with the flowering species. In the record 134 georeferenced records · half of them Aug–Dec · most distinctive in March · mostly from MG [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/4198346)

27. ### Ghost plant Graptopetalum paraguayense Loose rosettes of pointed leaves with a heavy pinkish-grey bloom, on stems that lengthen and trail. Every dropped leaf roots, which is why it spreads across a whole bed. Size Rosette 10–15 cm Where Mexico; hardy to about −7 °C. In the record 97 georeferenced records · half of them Feb–May · mostly from Spain [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/7334731)

28. ### Hoya Hoya carnosa Thick waxy oval leaves on a twining vine, with spherical clusters of small star-shaped flowers that look like porcelain and drip nectar. Flowers from the same short spur year after year — never cut it off. Size Vines to 4 m Where Southeast Asia and Australia. In the record 2,098 georeferenced records · half of them Mar–Jul · most distinctive in November · mostly from Taiwan [check on GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/8658195)

Nothing in this key matches every filter at once. That usually means one observation is
off — a colour read in shade, or a size guessed rather than measured. Clear the filter you
are least sure about and look again.

## Succulent is a habit, not a family

Succulence — storing water in leaves, stems or roots — has evolved independently in more than twenty plant families. That is why the group contains plants with nothing else in common, and why a key has to work on form rather than relationship.

The families you will actually meet on a windowsill:

- **Crassulaceae** — echeveria, sedum, sempervivum, crassula, kalanchoe, aeonium. Rosettes and fleshy paired leaves; the largest group in cultivation.
- **Asphodelaceae** — aloe, haworthia, gasteria. Rosettes of pointed leaves, often with teeth or windows.
- **Asparagaceae** — agave, snake plant, ponytail palm. Rigid fibrous leaves, and slow.
- **Cactaceae** — every true cactus. Defined by the areole, a small cushion from which spines, flowers and new growth all emerge.
- **Euphorbiaceae** — pencil cactus, African milk tree, crown of thorns. Cactus-shaped, and defined by copious white latex.
- **Apocynaceae** — string of pearls, string of hearts, hoya, stapelia. Trailing stems and often milky sap.

The most useful thing in that list is the cactus definition. **All cacti are succulents; most succulents are not cacti.** The test is the areole — if the spines come out of a small round felted cushion, it is a cactus, and if they do not, it is something else wearing the same costume.

## The pairs that get confused, and why it matters

*Look-alike succulents, the test that separates them, and why the distinction is practical rather than academic.*

| Pair | The test | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Echeveria vs sempervivum | Echeveria flowers on an arching stalk from the side; sempervivum flowers from the centre and that rosette then dies | Sempervivum is frost-hardy and echeveria is not — one lives outdoors, the other does not |
| Aloe vs agave | Aloe has soft white teeth and gel-filled leaves; agave has hard woody marginal spines, a terminal needle and fibrous leaves | Agave sap causes dermatitis and the terminal spines cause eye injuries |
| Cactus vs euphorbia | Cactus spines emerge from a felted areole; euphorbia has paired spines on ridges and bleeds white latex | Euphorbia latex causes serious chemical eye burns. Cactus sap does not |
| Christmas cactus vs desert cactus | Flat scalloped segments and rainforest origin versus ribs and spines | Watering and light needs are opposite; treating a Schlumbergera as a desert plant kills it |
| Bunny ears vs a harmless fuzzy plant | Tufts of glochids at each areole | Glochids detach on the lightest contact and are extremely difficult to remove from skin |

The euphorbia point is worth repeating because the plants are sold beside cacti and look like them. Ophthalmology literature carries a steady stream of case reports of corneal injury from *Euphorbia* sap, some with lasting visual loss. Gloves and eye protection when pruning, and immediate irrigation if it contacts an eye.

## Etiolation, and why your succulent stopped looking like the photograph

The commonest complaint about succulents is that a tight compact rosette has stretched into a pale straggling tower with widely spaced leaves. That is etiolation, and it is a light problem rather than a water or feeding one.

Most succulents come from high-light environments and need four to six hours of direct sun. A north-facing windowsill or a spot a metre back from a bright window provides a small fraction of that, and the plant responds by stretching towards it. Once stretched, the stem does not compact again — the plant grows on from where it is.

The fix is to behead it: cut the rosette off with a few centimetres of stem, let the cut callus over for several days in dry air, and set it on dry compost until it roots. The old stump usually sprouts several new heads, so one etiolated plant becomes four. Move all of them somewhere brighter, and increase light gradually — a plant moved straight from a dim room to full summer sun sunburns, and the scars are permanent.

Colour is the early warning. Many succulents are green in low light and develop red, purple or orange edges under stress from strong light, cold nights or drought. A plant that has gone plain green and soft is telling you it is not getting enough of any of those.

## Watering, which is where nearly all of them die

Succulents are killed by kindness far more often than by neglect, and the mechanism is root rot rather than the water itself.

- **Soak thoroughly, then let it dry out completely.** Water until it runs from the drainage hole, then do not water again until the compost is dry all the way down. Small frequent sips keep the top wet and the roots thirsty — the worst of both.
- **A pot without a drainage hole will eventually kill the plant.** The decorative ceramic bowls succulents are sold in are the single most common cause of death. Repot, or use the bowl as a cachepot with the plant in a plastic liner.
- **Use gritty compost.** Half potting compost and half coarse sand, perlite or pumice. Ordinary houseplant compost holds far too much water for too long.
- **Terracotta helps.** It breathes, so the compost dries faster and the margin for error is wider.
- **Water much less in winter.** Most succulents rest when light levels drop; a monthly splash is often enough. Aeoniums are the exception and grow in winter.

Reading the signs: **overwatered** leaves are translucent, yellow, mushy and drop from the bottom of the plant. **Underwatered** leaves wrinkle, shrivel and go crisp from the bottom. Wrinkled is recoverable in a day; translucent and mushy usually is not.

## Which are safe with pets, and which are not

Most succulents are non-toxic, and a few genuinely are not. Filter the key above by "toxic to pets" for the full list; the short version:

**Avoid in a house with animals:** every *Euphorbia*, kalanchoe of any species including mother of thousands and panda plant, jade plant, aloe, agave, snake plant, ZZ plant and string of pearls. Mother of thousands deserves particular caution because it scatters rooted plantlets across the floor.

**Listed non-toxic:** haworthia, gasteria, echeveria, sempervivum, sedum, graptopetalum, hoya, Christmas cactus, ponytail palm, lithops and true cacti — though a cactus is a mechanical hazard even when it is not a chemical one.

The mechanical hazards are worth naming separately, because they injure people rather than pets. Agave terminal spines cause eye injuries and are worth trimming on any plant beside a path. Opuntia glochids are almost invisible, detach on the lightest brush and are removed with adhesive tape or a layer of PVA glue peeled off when dry — tweezers rarely work. And euphorbia latex is a chemical hazard rather than a mechanical one, and the most serious thing in this section.

28 entries here cover the succulents actually sold in garden centres and grown on windowsills. The wider group runs to many thousands of species, and rare-plant collecting has driven serious poaching pressure on wild populations of dudleya, conophytum and several cacti — buy nursery-propagated stock, and be sceptical of unusually cheap wild-collected specimens.

## What the observation record shows

Every entry in this key that carries a scientific name is matched against

- [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/), the
international register of biodiversity records, and against

- [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/).
That puts a hard number behind 27 of the 28succulents here:
**62,382 georeferenced records** across the 19 entries that resolve to a single species, spanning 9 families, the oldest of them collected in
1926. The snapshot was taken on 2026-09-04.

That evidence is not spread evenly, and it is worth knowing before you trust a narrow
result. The five best-recorded succulents in this key hold 91%
of all the records between them: Hens and chicks alone accounts for
43,781, while String of pearls has
23. A common thing is common in the data too, so
when a filter narrows to one frequent entry and one rare one, the frequent one is
usually the answer — and the record count is the quickest way to see which is which.
The same skew applies geographically: 36% of these
records come from France, so the key describes what is
reported there far better than it describes anywhere else.

### When these are actually reported

*Half of the 51,634 georeferenced records for these 19 succulents fall in April–July alone. The bars are the raw share by month, which mostly measures when people go looking; the line divides each month by the baseline for every species in every Orvik key, so a value above 1.0 means these succulents are reported more than the season alone explains, and it peaks in July. Source: GBIF, snapshot 2026-09-04.*

Half of every record for this group falls in April–July.
A raw month count measures two things at once — when the organism is about, and when
people are outdoors with a camera — and the second effect is large enough to give
almost anything a summer peak. The line on the figure divides each month by the
baseline for every species in every Orvik key, which answers a different question:
relative to when people record anything at all, when are these succulents recorded?
Values above 1.0 are the months that belong to this group rather than to the season.
On that measure 10 of the 19succulents here peak
outside the warm half of the year — Snake plant, Bunny ears cactus, Jade plant among them. Those are the ones a seasonal rule of
thumb gets wrong.

### Records behind each entry

Sorted by how much evidence exists, not by how likely you are to meet one. The peak
month is the effort-adjusted figure, and it is left blank wherever the sample is too
thin for the month-to-month wobble to mean anything.

*GBIF and iNaturalist record counts for the 27 named succulents in this key,
 snapshot 2026-09-04. Rows above species rank aggregate everything beneath them and
 are not comparable with the rest. Free to reuse with a link to this page.*

| Entry | Accepted name | Rank | GBIF records | Research-grade | Half fall in | Peak, adjusted | Most reported from |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hens and chicks | [Sempervivum tectorum L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2985949) | species | 43,781 | 10,352 | May–Jul | July | France |
| Euphorbia — pencil cactus and African milk tree | [Euphorbia tirucalli L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3069353) | species | 5,377 | 13,030 | Mar–Jul | April | South Africa |
| Snake plant | [Dracaena trifasciata (Prain) Mabb.](https://www.gbif.org/species/11041822) | species | 2,951 | — | Feb–Jun | November | Brazil |
| Bunny ears cactus | [Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff.](https://www.gbif.org/species/7283961) | species | 2,557 | 10,120 | Jan–Jun | November | Mexico |
| Jade plant | [Crassula ovata (Mill.) Druce](https://www.gbif.org/species/5362063) | species | 2,321 | 28,409 | Mar–Jul | February | South Africa |
| Hoya | [Hoya carnosa (L.fil.) R.Br.](https://www.gbif.org/species/8658195) | species | 2,098 | 6,367 | Mar–Jul | November | Taiwan |
| Mother of thousands | [Kalanchoe daigremontiana Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier](https://www.gbif.org/species/2985936) | species | 1,117 | 12,628 | Jan–Jun | February | Spain |
| Ponytail palm | [Beaucarnea recurvata (K.Koch & Fintelm.) Lem.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2768035) | species | 551 | 4,645 | May–Aug | August | Mexico |
| Kalanchoe | [Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Poelln.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2985944) | species | 325 | 27,097 | Jan–Jun | March | Colombia |
| Snake plant impostor: Sansevieria cylindrica | [Dracaena angolensis (Welw. ex Carrière) Byng & Christenh.](https://www.gbif.org/species/10961470) | species | 295 | — | Jan–May | February | the United States |
| ZZ plant | [Zamioculcas zamiifolia (G.Lodd.) Engl.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2869014) | species | 188 | 10,149 | Jan–Jun | December | South Africa |
| Old man cactus | [Cephalocereus senilis (Haw.) Pfeiff.](https://www.gbif.org/species/7283905) | species | 168 | 729 | Aug–Dec | December | Mexico |
| String of hearts | [Ceropegia woodii Schltr.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3572767) | species | 139 | 739 | Nov–Feb | — | South Africa |
| Panda plant | [Kalanchoe tomentosa Baker](https://www.gbif.org/species/4198346) | species | 134 | 2,539 | Aug–Dec | March | MG |
| Golden barrel cactus | [Kroenleinia grusonii (Hildm.) Lodé](https://www.gbif.org/species/10911827) | species | 110 | 11,754 | Feb–May | — | Spain |
| Aloe vera | [Aloe barbadensis Mill.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2777729) | species | 98 | 48,174 | Feb–Apr | — | Mexico |
| Ghost plant | [Graptopetalum paraguayense (N.E.Br.) Walther](https://www.gbif.org/species/7334731) | species | 97 | 7,801 | Feb–May | — | Spain |
| Burro's tail | [Sedum morganianum Walther](https://www.gbif.org/species/5690408) | species | 52 | 2,515 | Feb–May | — | Mexico |
| String of pearls | [Curio rowleyanus (H.Jacobsen) P.V.Heath](https://www.gbif.org/species/3149649) | species | 23 | 1,868 | Jun–Oct | — | South Africa |
| Sedum and stonecrop | [Sedum L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5361975) | genus | 1,146,952 | 315,712 | May–Jul | June | France |
| Prickly pear | [Opuntia Mill.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3084187) | genus | 331,834 | 539,811 | Mar–Jul | November | the United States |
| Agave | [Agave L.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2766430) | genus | 120,762 | — | Jan–Jun | November | Mexico |
| Aeonium | [Aeonium Webb & Berthel.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2985681) | genus | 17,654 | 48,671 | Jan–May | December | Spain |
| Echeveria | [Echeveria DC.](https://www.gbif.org/species/5362052) | genus | 10,479 | 43,518 | Mar–Aug | November | Mexico |
| Gasteria | [Gasteria Duval](https://www.gbif.org/species/2778529) | genus | 2,207 | 4,019 | Aug–Nov | November | South Africa |
| Haworthia | [Haworthiopsis G.D.Rowley](https://www.gbif.org/species/9233780) | genus | 2,109 | 10,255 | Feb–Jul | February | South Africa |
| Living stones | [Lithops N.E.Br.](https://www.gbif.org/species/3231652) | genus | 569 | 2,140 | Feb–Jun | November | South Africa |

This table is assembled from open data and is free to reuse with a link back to this
page. The snapshot behind every Orvik key is published as one downloadable file on the

- [open field data](https://orvik.app/data/) page, with each source's licence terms.

## Questions people ask about this

Is my plant a cactus or just a succulent?

Look for areoles — small round felted cushions from which spines, flowers and new branches all emerge. Only cacti have them. Euphorbias, which look convincingly cactus-like, have paired spines directly on the ridges and bleed copious white latex when cut. All cacti are succulents, but most succulents are not cacti.

Why has my succulent gone tall and leggy?

Not enough light. The plant is stretching towards a window and it will not compact again. Behead the rosette with a few centimetres of stem, let the cut callus over for several days, and set it on dry compost to root; the stump usually sprouts several new heads. Then move everything somewhere brighter, increasing the light gradually so it does not sunburn.

How often should I water a succulent?

There is no schedule — water when the compost is dry all the way through, then soak it until water runs from the drainage hole. In a bright warm room that might be weekly in summer and monthly in winter. Small frequent sips are the worst approach, because they keep the surface wet and the roots dry. A pot with no drainage hole will kill the plant eventually.

What is the difference between an aloe and an agave?

Aloe leaves are soft and filled with clear gel, with soft white teeth along the edges. Agave leaves are hard and fibrous, ending in a rigid needle spine, usually with hooked spines on the margins. It matters practically: agave sap causes contact dermatitis and the terminal spines cause eye injuries, while aloe gel is a traditional skin remedy.

Which succulents are safe for cats and dogs?

Haworthia, gasteria, echeveria, sempervivum, sedum, graptopetalum, hoya, Christmas cactus, ponytail palm and lithops are all listed non-toxic. Avoid every Euphorbia, all kalanchoes including mother of thousands, jade plant, aloe, agave, snake plant, ZZ plant and string of pearls. Cacti are chemically harmless and mechanically not.

My succulent leaves are wrinkling. Too much or too little water?

Too little. Wrinkled, shrivelled, crisp leaves starting from the bottom mean the plant is drawing on its own reserves, and a good soak usually fixes it within a day. Translucent, yellow, mushy leaves that fall off at a touch mean too much water and root rot, which is far harder to recover from and often needs the plant beheaded and re-rooted.

How do I get the spines out after touching a prickly pear?

The large spines pull out with tweezers. The real problem is glochids — the tufts of tiny barbed bristles at each areole, which are almost invisible and come off on the lightest contact. Press adhesive tape onto the area and pull, or spread a layer of PVA glue, let it dry and peel it off. Handle Opuntia with tongs or folded newspaper, never bare hands.

## Still not sure? Point a camera at it

A filter narrows succulents down to a shortlist. Orvik reads the photo itself and names the species, with the look-alikes ranked underneath so you can check the call yourself.

- [Get Orvik free](https://orvik.app/app/)

## Keep reading on Orvik

- [Types of cactus with names](https://orvik.app/plants/types-of-cactus-with-names/)

- [Cactus identification apps](https://orvik.app/plants/cactus-identification-app/)

- [Are cactus plants poisonous?](https://orvik.app/plants/cactus-is-poisonous/)

- [House plant recognition](https://orvik.app/plants/house-plant-recognition/)

- [Indoor palm identification](https://orvik.app/plants/indoor-palm-plant-identification/)

- [What plant is this?](https://orvik.app/plants/what-plant-is-this/)

- [Free plant identifier apps](https://orvik.app/plants/free-plant-identifier-app/)

- [Apps that diagnose plant problems](https://orvik.app/plants/app-to-diagnose-plants/)

## Other free Orvik tools

- [Is this plant poisonous to dogs or cats?](https://orvik.app/tools/plant-toxicity-checker/)
- [Identify a tree by its leaf](https://orvik.app/tools/leaf-identifier/)
- [Identify a tree by its bark](https://orvik.app/tools/tree-bark-identifier/)
- [What wildflower is this?](https://orvik.app/tools/wildflower-identifier/)
- [How old is this tree?](https://orvik.app/tools/tree-age-calculator/)
- [When do I start these seeds?](https://orvik.app/tools/seed-starting-calculator/)
- [What fossil is this?](https://orvik.app/tools/fossil-identifier/)
- [What berry is this, and can you eat it?](https://orvik.app/tools/wild-berry-identifier/)

## Where the data comes from

- [ASPCA — toxic and non-toxic plants](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants)
- [Cactus and Succulent Society of America](https://cactusandsucculentsociety.org/)
- [RHS — growing cacti and succulents](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/cacti-succulents)
- [Missouri Botanical Garden — Plant Finder database](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/)
- [GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility](https://www.gbif.org/)
- [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/)

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