Cact us and Succulents

These are group of plants whic h have deve loped a special capacity
to store water in thick
fleshy leaves or stems. They thrive best in sunny situations and
are light loving . They
need little care except when actively growing. These plants are
native of drier parts of
the world i.e. slopes of Andes mountains in South America, the
arid zones of Bolivia,
Mexico, Argentina , Brazil, Peru , other parts of North America, Cana
da and South Africa.
All the cactus are succulents on acco unt of storing water but
all the succulents are not
cacti. There is a clear cut distinction betw een both. Cactus is chara
cterized by the presen ce
of areoles, whic h often look like wooly cushions carrying spine
s, hairs or glochids and
the flowers arise from or near the areoles. The spines in cactus
are modified leaves which
provide shade against scorching sun and help in conservation of mois
ture besides protecting
again st birds and beasts.
Cactus and succulents are very popu lar amongst gardeners, amat
eurs, and hobby5is
which are used to adorn sunny situa tions of gardens, houses,
window sills and rock
gardens. Popular names have been given to them like 'Mother in
low' s chair' (Echinocactus
gruso nii), 'Oldman' (Cepha/ocereus seni/ is) , 'Silver torch' (Clei
stocactus strausii), 'Moon
cactus' (Se/enicereus) , 'Old Lady ' (Mammil/a ria hahniana), Mr.
Red cap (Gymnoca/yciu~
miha novichii var. Friederickii) , Bishop's hood (Astrophytum myriostig
ma), 'Arab 's turban
(Crassu/a hemisphaerica) , 'Sea onion' (Bow ea volubilis) 'Old man'
s tooth' (Li th ops sp.).
'African milk barre l' (Euphorbia horrida) , 'Bea ds' (Sed u~ stahlii),
Airplane plant (Crassula
falcata) , 'Elep hant foot tree' (Beaucarnea recur vata), etc.
~l the cactus plants belong to family 'Cactacea.e, which is
following three tribes viz. further divided into
 _N
AND:....:S~U~C_C_U_LE _T._S_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
,
~• pere skie ae
219
1 · ·t·1ve farm an d near to original f
rribe . ·. the pnrn1
This I5 orest trees Pia t
. ·trus trees a nd have stalke d flowe rs in cluste r : n s are leafy bush es,
k !Ike c1 . b b . s resembling wild
b t not gloch1ds or ar ed bristles e.g. Pereskia g ran d.fl roses. Spine s are
lo0 ' ora co l
ent u are memb ers of this gr mmon Y known as
pres tus and Pereskia aculeata oup.
rose cac
'b • opu ntie ae
rr1 e 11 · . .
ctenz ed by the gloch1ds or sharp ' easily detac h e d b un di es of barbed
Pl ants are chara
. b
. tl 1.0 the aenol es. Stem or ranch es are fleshy ' loosely. joined eith er fl at or pad like
bns es . . . .
.Iin drical havm g spme s but witho ut nbs. Flowe rs are witho ut petioles an d t ub es and
or cy .
rally of wheel shape e.g. Opun tw sp.
are ge ne

Tribe 111 : Cereae

ribbed, fleshy
This is the largest group and mem bers are chara cteriz ed by their
absen t from areoles.
stems of continuous growt h in colum ns or globe s. Gloch ids are
n . They are attached
Flowers are tubular and are very show y excep t Riphalis sectio
directly on the plant witho ut stems .
8 subtribes. They
This tribe being the larges t one, has furthe r been divid ed into
are :
are numerous
1. Cereanae. Mem bers are know n as colum n or torch cacti. Branc hes
s, cepha locere us,
and ribbed. Funnel shape d flowers appe ar on the top e.g. cereu
cleistocactus, Trichocereus.
ng to trees and
2. Hyloc erean ae. These have vine like habit with aerial roots clingi
rtant gener a are :
rocks. Mostly are night bloom ing cacti with large flowers . Impo
Selenicereus , Hylocereus , Weberocereus, Cryp tocer eus , etc.
single and heavily
. 3. Echin ocere anae . These are low, grow ing in clusters or in
ribbed. Flowers are bell shape d , show y and appe ar on the side
of the stem. Impo rtant
genera are . Echmoce .
· reus, Echinopsis , Rebu tia, Cham aecer eus , etc.
f ·
4 Ech·moca ctaen ae. These also grow low and are small and some times ormmg
cl t · .
us ers, ribb d . ocactus,
Fer e and spmy. Flowers are most beaut iful e.g. Astro phytu m, Echm
ocactus N0 t
' ocactus, Gymn ocaly cium, etc.
Th ' Th
5. Cactana ese can
be easily 'd .. e. ese are comm only called as Melo n cactu s or Turks cap.
ure on the top of
the globutare~::ed by the pre_sence of wool y or bristly, cap like struct
6 C y. Flowers anse from the tops e.g. Melocactus.
sh aped.· Steoryphantha nae. It is . each.· Pl ants are globe
• popu larly know n as Pincu shion
es in rows . Impo rtant
genera are ~~:re s~all forming large cluste rs with tuber cles or nippl
I 7. Ept h mm11Iaria and Cory phan tha.
fl t nd
ear lik P Yelanae Th mostl y epiph ytic and tropic al. Branc hes are a a
e of usuau . · ese are
Yw
1th0 ut spine s. Flowe rs are show y e.g. Zygoc actus and Epiphyllurn .
 INTRO DUCT ORY ORNAMENTAL
220 ~ HOFfrlcu,~ru~c
--- . .
are freely
B. Rhipsa/idanae. It is commonly called as cham each. These 6
flat branc hes. Stem s are pend ant forming de ranching
·th I der cylindrical or d b nse rna
wt s en . sses
f tropical forests . They bear tiny flowers an erries. Important gene ra are Rhi 00.
trees o . Psal,s
and Rhipsalidop1s.

Gro wing of Cacti and Succulents (Pla tes 13 & 14)

tions. The
Clim ate. Cacti are adaptable to wide range of climatic condi
sun results int0 extremes
of temperature i.e. above 35°C and exposure to direct scorching Yellowi
shad ed to prote ct them . Very low tempe ratu ng
and fin ally rotting. Plants should be
d. During this perio: als~
inhibits the growth of cacti. The plants also have a resting perio
starts again durin spnng c~ch
need little care and watering at longer intervals. Active growth 9
season and continues till autumn.
Soil. Cacti thrive well in porus and rich calcareous soil. There
fore , for making a pot
which are beneficial for
mixture care should be taken to include all necessary gradients
of 2 parts garden soil : 1
their growtli . The general ideal pot mixture for cacti consists
old mortar or lime stone
part sand : 1 part leaf mould : 1 part well rotten manure : 1 part
basic slag should also be
gravel and ½ part charcoal. Small amou nt of bone meal or
by excessive addition of
added. Plants become succulent and susceptible to rotting
avoided. Undecomposed
chemical fertilizers and thus, frequent application should be
organic matter causes rotting of roots.
asexually. Seeds are
Prop agati on. Cacti can be multiplied sexually as well as
mber in pots, seed pans.
collected from ripened fruit and are sown from March to Septe
or boxes . The mixture for sowing the seeds , consists of
1 part garden soil : 1 part
with sand and then with
sand : 1 part leaf mould. Seeds are sown and gently covered
takes long time to make
glass plate. Seeds germinate but seedlings grow slowly and it
a specimen plant from seeds.
on of off set _or
Vegetative methods are very popular to multiply the cacti. Divisi
followed in Mammil/ana.
clumps or root suckers is an easy method which is generally
method employed is fby
Rebutia, Trichocereus, Cleistocactus , Echinocereus. Another easy
are made and kept or
cuttings which is conveniently used. Cuttings of convenient length nd
days before planting. Then these cuttin gs are plant ed in sand a new
drying 7-30
growth shows that rooting has taken place. W kl growing
. . are gener ally prefer red. e~ Y_ ring
Grafting 1s a useful method and grafted cacti f fttng JS sp
plants are grafted over strongly growing rootstocks. The ideal seaso st
n gra ° etc. are
or autumn. Genera like Cereus, Trichocereus, Harrisia, Opun
tia , Clei oca~tus,Scion is
stock a nd s~wn. ss ways
generally employed as rootstock. Plain cuts are provided on d in cro
ded by placin g some fl at woo d Wedge
placed over rootstock and pressure is provi · release ·
re ts
or by tying with a rubber band string for a month . Then the pressu
grafting is also very successful method for propagation.
 Acrus AND SUCCULENTS
221
~ t .
ateri ng. Cacti and succ ulent s do not need liberal wa enng Judie·1 .
W grow ing . In winte r th .' ?us applic ation
r ssful
is requi red for succe . mon s Le. dun .
f wae t i . d ng . rest peno d
o ·ng is to be done very spari ngly. Little frequ ent water
E . ng is one dunn g su
waten . r
ths when each grow . 1 very time the soil is to be drenc hed comp1ete 1y so that mme water
rnon .
be avoid ed.
comes out of the d ram hoe and over- wate ring shou ld

oescription of Imp orta nt Cacti

pereskia aculeata
is comm only known as
It is native of West Indie s and coas t of Sout h Ame rica and
brow n spine s. Leav es are waxy
'Lemon vine '. It is a wood y plant , and have need le like
posse ss lemo n like scent . p
green and elliptic . Flow ers are cream ish in colou r and
es. It is a tall shrub growing
grandiflora know n as 'Rose cactu s' is anot her comm on speci
green , fleshy and waxy. Flowers
about 5 m with abun dantl y spiny trunk . Leav es are rich
very similar to the wild rose.
are produced in term inal clust ers of rose colou r and are

Opuntia sp.
It is a comm only grow n cactu s for fenci ng. Ther e are
large numb er of species and
are : 0. cylindrica, 0. caribaea,
some are ornam ental . Com mon speci es used for fenci ng
: 0. leptocaulis, 0. linbericata,
0. tetracantha and 0. subulata. Othe r comm on speci es are
0. ficus-indica , 0. mammil/ata, 0. microdasys, 0. streptacantha.
g patch es of different
Opuntia monocantha variegata is a highl y ornam ental havin
colours like pink, red, and yello w.
mis
Disocactus flage llifor mis Syn. Apo roca ctus flage llifor
abou t 1.5-2 m , slender
It is popu larly calle d as 'Rat' s tail cactu s'. Stem s are long
with small brow nish spines.
and hanging. Stem s. are close ly ribbe d and dens ely cove red
stem s and last for sever al days.
Flowers are tubul ar whic h are prod uced on long hang ing
speci es are : A mal/isonii,
This is ideally suita ble for hang ing bask ets. Othe r impo rtant
A. conzatti, and A. martianus.
ASfrophytum myri ostig ma
er of ribs is 5 but it ranges
fr It is comm only know n as 'Bish op's cap' . The usual numb
spineless but have
:3-s.
orn The dark surfa ce is cove red with silver y scale s. Plant s are · h dd' h throa t
Prom inent areo les. Larg e numb ers of smal l swee tly scent ed yellow wit re is
a ' · · 1·k 'Colu mn
re , Produ · 1·d eally suite d for smal l pots.
ced · It Is Ther e are sever al vane ttes 1 e
ar 'N . .
c, udum ' ' 'Q uadn.costa ta', 'Tule nsis' , etc. Othe r popu lar speci es are ·
8 · 1 s ribs and
A asterias · It ·Is popu larly know n as 'Sea Urch in' cactu s. It has spme es
is of fl · covered with
attened hemisp · h enca. l shap e The epide rmis is greyi sh green w h.ic h is
white ·
spots.
corn · d'f . . . . · g a bout 30 cm.
It hasA.9 Capri
'b . e is 1 f1cult to grow . It is a cylm dnca l and tall gr owm
n s with Iong ·mterw ining spine s.
 _ TR
~~~- - - - - - - - - - - - - -IN _ R_N_A_M_E_N_T._A~L~HORt
_ O_D_U_C_~_O_R_Y_O
~22 ~R~

,, Cephafocereus senilis

.h
.
It 1s pop
w h1c cover
ularly called as 'Old man cactus' on account
the entire column . Length
c1ose 1y attached ·
.
.
of column vanes
. .
of presence of long grey h .
from 15 cm to 10 rn . R·tbs arair
Important species are : C. flum1ens1s , C. cometes ' C· feuc ostele, Ce
royenii , etc.

Cereus sp.
The word cereus is derived from Latin word cera which means wax or torch 1
· _t IS
commonly called as 'Night blooming cacti' on account of nocturnal habit of flow enng.
. . .
Young plants are straight columnar _m shape but with the age the~ grow vigorously and
are useful root-stocks for propagation purpose. Flowers are white or pink. There are
about 26 species and common species are :
C. hexagon us. It grows in a column upto 9 m high and 15 cm thick. It has blue.
green to grey stems and branch freely.
C. argentinensis. It is from Argentina . It is another vigorously growing and free!" ]

branching species .
Other important species are : C. jamacaru, C. peruvianus and C. repandus.

Echinopsis chamaecereus Syn. Chamaecereus silvestrii

It has short, finger like freely off-setting stems . Plants are prostrate , pale green, anc
covered with short white spines. Flowers are large and of scarlet colour.

Coryphantha sp.
These are small , globular or cylindrical cacti , divided into tubercles. They have
attractive spine formations and look attractive . Flowers are large and are produced at me
top . Important species are C. echinus, C. cornifera, C. clava, C. pallida, C. uivipara, ere

Echinopsis candicans Syn. Trichocereus candicans

It is commonly called as 'Barrel' or 'Hedge hog' cacti . These are large. globular ar.~
11 hite or rO-.'-<=
have sharp continuous ribs . The flowers are long, funnel shaped , usua Y w hhF
/acanr a'· -
coloured . scented and open in the evening . Important species are E. campy
calochlora, E. bridgesii, E. tubiflora , E. eyriesii, etc.

Echinoce reus sp. _l, •••.

d level 1n ·
These form clumps by branching from the basis of shoots at groun h. oceit:l-' _,.,
. I b ch Ee in
spe cies, plants grow m a large plant body which do not usual Y ran ·
divided into three groups acco rding to p lant growth . th ~:..-···
. . . . . . h1 nq p\,1111 ... ,•'l
1. Plant~ w ith weak spmes-e. g. E. s ubin e n nis- 1s a bra'.,c -,tht1t .,1x•t 1~
are 8-<J cm thick and ha ve 5 -8 ribs with ve1y short spine~ (
E. pulchellus and /.: . knippPlian11 s.
 S ANO SUCCULENTS ----
cAcru 223
Pro stra te, ma t for min g p la nts e.g . E. blanckii, E. penta/o h
2.
P us, E. procumbens
etc. '
pectinatu E
3. Erect pla nts , bra nch ing from bas e e.g. E. s, · ok/ahomensis, E. delaetii,
£. eng e/manii, E. fen dle ri, etc .

ferocactus sp. .
English wor d 'R 1ou . ,
The gen era l nam e has .bee n der. ive d Bfrom eroc s ' on account 0 f
f f ut spin es are bea utifu11 y co1oured . Plants are
. 1 k due to pre sen cef o d 1erc e 11spin es. I
its oo
ing. Flo wer s o re or ye ow col our are bor ne on the top of th e Pan I t. mportant
I grow d F . . . . pinu s F ~ormis .
sow nth o es, . cov 1 11 e1, F ;oh nst om anu s' F /atis , . me 1
ocac t1 ,
•es are : F aca
spec 1
etc.
Gymnocalycium sp. ribs
. The se are glo bul ar plants and have few
ft is com mo nly call ed as 'Ch in' cac tus 'chin' like
h are div ided into tub erc les. The re is a cleft bel ow eac h tubercle , giving a
whic thin
Len gth of spin es and sha pe var y gre atly with the species. Som e hav e short,
effect. ut
le oth ers pos ses s lon g stou t, and cur ved one s. Flowers are quite large of abo
spines, whi
5 cm across and last for sev era l day s .
G.
The imp orta nt spe cies are : G. den uda
tum , G. baldianum , G. bruchii, G. dimsii,
gibbosum , G. mihanovichii.
Haageocereus sp.
col um nar cacti which are closely covered
The genus consists of ma ny ribb ed and ,
htly colo ure d spin es. The swe etly sce nte d flowers are- noc turn al. H. decumbens
with brig
H. mu/ticolorispinus and H. acr ant hus
pro duc e attr acti ve flowers.

Hamatocactus sp.
, you ng and spin es are dee p red but fade
It is a small cac tus. Pla nts are cylindrical
to white upon ageing. Imp orta nt
spe cie s are :
ow with a red thro at.
H. hamatacanthus. Flo wer s are larg e and yell
us. It is a free flow erin g and pro duc ing yellow flowers with red throat.
H. setispen
inatus. Flo wer s are com par ativ ely sma ller and of a red dish brown colour.
H. unc
Harrisia sp.
several
awl ing and nee d sup por t. Theny dhav e
broa dTh_ebse are tall , slen der, bec om e spr ro 5 are ye
llow
and · whi te and noc turn al.
<Jr oran
n s . spines. Flo wer s are larg e, usu ally H ·r15 and H ·
· ge_ which d 0 not split. Imp orta nt spe cies are H. eriophora, · graci
!:> trnpson;;
LemaIreoce,-,
T eus
hese - d flowers are
are tall col t abo ve th e gro un ·
!Jihit,
rJ 1 1: • ~ma ll an 1 ' um ns a nd bra nch ing from jus L b k .. • L · cl11·c hipa ' L.
11
1 ·
rruJrf 1'<"ri, L c ope n du ring d ay. Imp orta nt spe cies are : . en ec
L
. marginat u.s, • lhu nbe ri a nd L. w eb e ri.
I
Lobivia sp.
These are commonly called 'cob cacti' a nd have globular or cyl· d .
. . . . . in nca1
are me dium sized havmg nbs usually d1v1 ded mto tubercles · Sp·
in es are ~tstern Pio-1,'._·
0
directed upwards . Bristly hairs are also present which sometimes entir 1 :i ut us,.ta:_l·
y cover th , '
· Ioure d .m re d a n d ye II ow w h.1ch open in day.e L
body. Flowers are mult1co . E P,2 •,
haageana, L. shaperi, L. pentlandii are some of important species. · chrysantha. L

Mammilleria
It is popularly known as 'Bird 's Nest Cacti'. The word mammilleria is d .
Latin word mamm,·11 a w h.1ch means mpp· Ies or teats . Th ey form clusters of globenved hr;,,.--
1
stems which are covered with silky hair. Spines are variable in size . The small buuar '2Teer. 1
e sna!)e(
flowers are borne in circles around the top of the plant. Flower colour is usual! er
or pale yellow. Many species also beautify the plant with colourful seed pod for
The genus is comprised of about 300 species . M . goldii, M . candida, M. bocasana.M
~o:
zeilmann Jana, M . celsiana, M. gracilis, M . hahniana, M . chionocephala, M wildii. :1
discolor cristata are important species.
Notocactus sp.
This is large group of vigorous and hardy plants . Plants fl ower when they are
young. Large flowers are produced on the top of the plant and are yellow in colour \d:.'r:
purple red stigma. Important species are N. haselbergii, N. leninghausii and .\
elachisanthus.
Rebutia sp.
These are small , free clustering cacti. They are short lived (3-4 years). and are easily
propagated through off-sets which root easily. Funnel shaped flowers are produced arouD<l
the sides of the plants arising from near the base . Flower colour varies from red to
orange, pink yellow, mauve and white. Most commonly grown species are R. minuscula.
R. senilis and R. xanthocarpa.
Trichocereus candicanis h.e
d w Il
Plants are glossy green and have 9-11 ribs. These ribs bear large. roun_· rrorn
woolly areoles , with spreading golden yellow spines of variable lengths . Branc~tn\hir,
listening
the base is profuse and plants become many stemmed. Flowers are Iarge. g
and have lily like scent. Other species are T theologonus, T chilensis, etc.

Description of Important Succulents

Agave sp. (Amaryllidaceae) pecies 11r,
. ·ty of the 5 ~
There are about 300 species and are native of America. MaJon ting fibre · 1
. d f extrac I tar.•
ornamental but A . sisalana and A. fourcroydes are cultivate 0 : ther i[11P 0 tr•·
111
rl
·cana is known as 'Century plant'. A americana marginata is alnl ~., band~
ame db Id ye ovv . ot?
• L f margins are wavy toothed an road having go en ·ae regtri
species. ea ' d A uictort
. f I
margin o eaves .
Other important species are : A. filifera an .
 succULEN.~T_S_ _ 225

ftcrtJS ~Nf!_ -
c (Uliac eae ) d
tive of Afr ica , Ma dag asc ar and Atl.ant ic isla nds . Lea ves are pro uce d
e sP·
AJo se a re na thic k and fles hy. In fl o res cen ce ans e from axils of leav es . Fl ow ers are
fhe . . . Th·1s
hich a re
llow . A . uan ega ta is the mo st com mo nly cul tiva ted sp ec1es.
•ose tie w ge. re d or ye . .
ifl 1 lea ves . It is stem less and p ro d uce s
inlYoran vy ban d s of w hite ma rki ngs. on the
rr,a erse wa cie s are A. Josteri. A. breuifolia. A.
uera e tc.
sv f sett e . Oth er imp ort a n t spe .
has tranrouP o ro · ·
d"s 1· S yn . A p ten ,a cordtfolia (Aizoaceae)
dense g themum co r 1,0 ,um . . .
embryan and ste ms a re cov ere d wit h glis ten ing pap illa e . Lea ves are hea rt
Mes ros trat e d ·h · rt
p ed opp osi·te , fl es h y an d cov ere wit pap illa e . Sm all flowers are sho
Plants are talk
. .
d short s '
col our . Ide ally sUJ ted fo r han gin g bas ket s, roc ker y and win dow
shap e ' d rplish red in • ber .
sta
lked an pu
flow erin g occ urs dun ng hot mo nth s and Jul y to Sep tem
gardens.
. .
.
cotyledon sp. (Cr ass ula cea e) te and
These are per enn ial and shr ubb y
m nat ure . Th ey hav e eith er opp osi
rna tive and sum me r
hy ste ms or lea ves are alte
. t nt leaves wit h thic k and fles orta nt
pers1s e
ily pro pag ate d by see ds, ste m cut ting s and som e by lea f cut ting s. Imp
deciduo us. Eas
species are : bov ate and
wit h opp osi te , uns talk ed. ova te-o
C. orbiculata. Pla nt has thic k ste ms and are of
es. Lea ves hav e gre y wa xy cov erin g. Flo we rs app ear in sum me r
fleshy leav
yellowish-red colour.
C. juc obe nsi ana .
Other species are C. und ula ta and

Euphorbia sp. (Eu pho rbi ace ae) The y loo k

are abo ut 800 spe cie s, wid ely dis trib ute d thr oug hou t the wo rld.
There pre sen ce
ally the se are diff ere nt. Eu pho rbi as are ma inly ide ntif ied by the
like cacti but actu
are cal led cya thi a and wh ose col our is due to col our ful bra cts .
of milk and flowers wh ich
Important species are :
Th e bra nch es are
~- can dela bru m. Thi s gro ws abo ut 10 m and bec om es like a tree . d d
f wav y. too the an
our nbb ed and b I . Th e cre sts of the ribs are
bear . ear eav es nea r the tips
Pairs of spin es.
Fl h 1
E. neriifolia · St em 1s · f·Ive ang led and bec om es cyl ind rica l wh en ma tur e. es Y ong
leaves
are pro du d
E ce on you nge st por tio n of sho ot. · · · h· b
end ens C law 's Ton gue . It Is a spm y 5 iu
b · sp/ · om mo nly cal led as 'Mo the r in · bl e
a 0 ut a rn ed . Lea ves are van a
a d Present B
etre or tall er. ran che s are irre gul ar and bro wn col our
n
over all th t ed.
E. Pend e s em . Cy ath ia are sca rlet col our f I1 ang .mg
u/a. It has pen dan t sho ots . It is sui tab le or
bask et ma ny bra nch ed, lon g
s.
. • - E
Thi s · bi anc hes . ·
tiruca~- - ~Phylfa .
11
il . ts a suc cul ent shr ub wh ich pro duc es forkly. cyl md nca l
is sirn
ar tn sha b m.
Pe ut it gro ws tall to abo ut 6 -8
 _N
_ O_D_U_C_~_O_R_Y_O_R _E
_A_M _ T._~~L~H:...:.=:.:_O
_N RncuLTURE
_ _,_N_TR
~2~26~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_
_
f::.
Oth er impo1iant species are E. ang
u/aris, E. meloformis, E. pseudocactu5 ,
triangularis. E. ramipressa.
ant ea
Furcraea foetida Syn . Furcraea gig nt
ma rgin , spin y, den tate or leathery Impoliil
It is similar to aga ve with tuft ed leav es,
spe cies are :
ega ted and ma rgins yellow.
F selloa var. mar gin ata . Lea ves are vari
oin
obla nce ola te , fl at, glossy gree n with mar
F gigantea . Lea ves are large obl ong , ~
enti re .
ntea med opi cta . Lea ves are cre amy white , yell ow with lon gitudina l centre.
F giga

Haworthia sp. (Liliaceae) ns,

a re high ly suit able for semi-sh ady situ atio
The se are small delightful plan ts and nge d and
g roo ms , and oth er situ atio ns. Lea ves are usually in rose tte, den sely arra
livin rosettes.
pin g eac h oth er. The se are easi ly pro pag ate d by sep ara ting roo ted
ove rlap
Imp orta nt spe cies are :
lar lan ceo late . Upp er surf ace is flat but
H. fasciata. Lea ves are sessile and tria ngu
ked ly cov ere d with whi te tub ercl es arra nge d in d istinct transve rse bands.
low er is mar
orta nt from orn ame nta l poin t of view.
H. cymbiformis and H. limifolia are also imp
Lithops sp. (Aizoaceae) ty to
ing ston es' on acc oun t of thei r similari
The se are pop ula rly call ed as 'Flo wer ek words
oun din g gra vels , ston es or peb ble s. The gen eric wor d is der ived from Gre
surr
ne) and ops (likes). Pla nts gro w singly or in clum ps . Plan t bodies consist
i.e. lithos (sto
es surfaced
with and reti cula te surf ace s. Sometim
of single pair of bro wni sh- gre y leav es agated by
dot ted. Flo wer s are sho rt stal ked , whi te or yell ow in colour. Very easily prop
is
are L be/la, L. divergens, L. salicola ,
etc.
see ds and cuttings. Imp orta nt spe cies
rec urv ata (Liliaceae)
Beaucarnea recurvata Syn. No lin a ves
sma ll tree with swo llen trun k at the bas e and tap erin g tow ard s apex. Lea
It is a
.
are long , nar row and rec urv ed in tuft

Portu/acaria afra (Portulaceae) Ste m

is horizon tally
han gin g bas kets .
It is suc cule nt shr ub and ver y com mo n for
opp osi te, obo vat e and shin ing green.
spre adin g. Lea ves are thick, gla bro us,
rd like
Sansev eria sp. (Lil iac eae )
t, srtwo whic h
Eas t Ind ies. Lea ves are st iff, erecrose
The se are nati ve of Sou th Africa and d in e ·5
1
fl t · . The y are arra nge agat iofl
and in oth ers
. a m som e spe cies and cylindrical
e fro m st01 0 nife rou s rhiz om es. Flo wer s are whi te and inco nsp icuo us. Prop
ans
don e b d.ivis · · . Com m onl y gro wn spe cies are
Y ion
cAcrvs AND su_c_c_u_L_E_N_r._s_ _ _ __
S. marginata . Leaves are thick, gree n d . 227
. an having Yello .
w stnp on th .
S . cy!indnca. Leaves
d d
are ro und archi
'
.
ng and ngid e margin
ually furrowe a n several grouped to h measuring 12 0 _ ·
150 cm. The-se
af€ t iS . a s oot.
S trifascwta. Leaves are dark green ha h' .
. .d . ve w itish wavy b
:,Lil
s.
. ·t·aces e,xcept wi e green m arginal band . tritas .t ands over the
JI c1a a var. /aure t ·. .
.
entire
. n 11 is anothe h
species. r andsome
s. hahnii. Leaves are broad , resolute and are attr actively .
marked.
Sedum sp. (Crassulaceae)
These are about 300 species of this genus which are nati f .
.· M d . . .. ve o mountainous region
.
of Central Anica, a agascar, Peru , Bolivia and Philippines · The word se durn 1.s denved
, , . .
from word Seda which means to sit and it is in reference to the method by which some
species are attached to the rocks . Common species are :
S. compactum . Low growing herbaceous plants with obovate to obtuse leaves on
short rosette .
S. morganianum . Leaves ate thick, fleshy and numerous .
S. nudum . Leaves are alternate , obovate. oblong. thick and blunt at the rip.

Yucca sp. (Liliaceae)

It is not succulent but is a xerophytic plant. Leaves are long. lanceolate and green.
Important species are :
Y gloriosa. Commonly known as 'Spanish dagger' which grows to about 240 ~rn
in height. Stem is thick. short and topped by dense rosette of sword shaped leaves \,.:hICh
are flat. glaucous, grey-green and rough .
Other notable species are Y elephantipes and Y schotii .