Succulents are not limited to a single plant family or genus. Rather, numerous plant species around the globe have the ability to store water and survive in hostile regions. Thanks to their undemanding nature, the survival artists are a team player for indoor gardeners who don't constantly insist on nurturing allowances. Get to know representative species that cause a sensation when they are displayed on the windowsill.

The penny tree is supposed to help raise money

Cacti - bizarre archetypes with a dress of thorns

Cacti are the best-known representatives of succulent plants. Within this multifaceted family there are tiny ones from a few centimeters to giants that stretch 10 meters and higher into the sky. The following species are at the top of the ranking of the most popular houseplants because they set the scene with a furious combination of bizarre shapes, beautiful flowers and colorful thorns:

  • Golden globe cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) with golden yellow thorns and bright yellow flowers
  • Old man's head (Cephalocereus senilis) with white hairy columnar body and pink funnel flowers
  • Christmas cactus (Schlumberga), leafy cactus without thorns and with a breathtaking abundance of flowers at Christmas time

In this selection, the magical 'Queen of the Night' (Selenicereus grandiflorus) should not be missing. On its slender, climbing tendrils, salmon-colored flowers up to 30 cm in size unfold at night, exuding a seductive fragrance.

King Agave - royal beauty for the windowsill

Representing the fascinating family of agaves, we present the king agave (Agave victoriae-reginae) here. It forms a dense rosette with its dark green sword blades edged in white. Unlike other agaves, the leaf edges are smooth. There are only 2 cm long terminal spines at the tips. With a maximum growth height of 50 cm, the king agave is one of the most beautiful succulent indoor plants.

Carrion flower - splendor of flowers with a distinctive scent

A succulent of superlatives comes from the milkweed family. The large-flowered carrion flower (Stapelia gigantea) trumps with 40 cm large flowers, whose attraction no one can resist. Their light yellow basic color has numerous red horizontal stripes. In addition, the petals are covered with purple hairs. Since the exotic treasure reaches a growth height of 30 to 50 cm, it is actually a prime example of a representative species - if it weren't for the unpleasant smell of carrion.

Succulent plants - floral gems for your home

The succulent family has a variety of representative species for living space greening. To make it easier for you to choose, we have put together the most beautiful examples for you:

  • Penny Tree (Crassula ovata), shrub-like ornamental tree with thick, glossy green, oval ornamental leaves
  • Golden sedum (Sedum floriferum), delicate ground cover for bowls and troughs with golden yellow flowers
  • Aeonium arboreum boasts dark wine-red rosettes of leaves and yellowish-white flowers

Flaming Katy (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) is a classic among the loveliest succulent plants for your home. The succulent ornamental plant from Madagascar has everything we could want from a representative houseplant. With a growth height of 30 cm and long-lasting spring flowering, the succulent is equally suitable for flower pots and hanging baskets. The plant stores water in its fleshy leaves, so it won't go limp if its gardener fails to water it from time to time.

Spurge - wild charm with a succulent character

Because it has numerous representative species, the entire Spurge genus was named Perennial of the Year in 2013. As the selection below proves, all Euphorbias have earned the title of succulent beauty queen.

  • Candelabra Spurge (Euphorbia abyssinica), majestic giant with angular shoots that can reach the ceiling
  • Baseball spurge (Euphorbia obesa) attracts everyone's attention with its spherical body
  • Christ's thorn (Euphorbia milii var. milii), poisonous and thorny, but blooms beautifully in the midst of winter
  • Tirucalli spurge (Euphorbia tirucalli), richly branched shrub whose pencil-thin shoots are reminiscent of tuning forks

The spurge genus has several representative species for the Christmas season ready for you. In addition to the thorny Christ's thorn, the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) has conquered a regular place on the winter flower bank. In a bright location with a pleasant 20 degrees Celsius, the flowering period extends from November to February.

Ragweed brings us succulent hanging plants

Representative species among succulents are not limited to appearance along windowsills and flower sills. The following species from the ragweed family are predestined for the spectacular decoration of traffic lights and hanging baskets:

  • String peas (Senecio rowleyanus) with globular green leaves along thin shoots up to 100 cm long
  • Hanging ragwort (Senecio herreianus) impresses with grey-green, red-striped, thick leaves on 70 cm long tendrils

Incidentally, the succulents have known, non-succulent conspecifics among the ragweeds. The spring groundsel, for example, is well known to us from the natural garden and feared by farmers because it is poisonous to grazing cattle.

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Numerous representative species are not recognizable as succulents at first glance. These include the popular lucky feather (Zamioculcas zamiifolia), which should not be missing from any windowsill. With its dark green feathered leaves on tightly upright shoots, the African beauty lends green vitality even to niches with little light. Time-crunched home gardeners are lucky to have this easy-care succulent their own.

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Vegetable garden