Small pink leaves and tiny elongated pink/red flowers

by Greg Halbeisen
(Fort Mohave, AZ, USA)

Gregs strange succulent plant

I found this plant while hiking and was able to bring it home and plant it and it is flourishing. It has leaves that start out small and pink and then turn green as it matures. It has grown a long stalk with a bunch of tiny, elongated pink/red flowers. I have looked all over the web for anything similar and cannot find it. Any ideas?


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Greg, Thanks for persisting in the attempt to send the picture! There is a size limit, so you need to edit the picture down to less than 100kb to upload it.

Anyway, here it is - what a gem! I can't believe you found it out in the wilderness, because it seems to be some type of Echeveria, judging from the flowers. See the pictures on Echeveria species page. They show the same flower stalk and bell like blooms.

As you found it somewhere out in the boonies, we will never know how it got there, or what the parents are, but you rescued it and gave it a home.
Jacki

Unlabeled Succulents

by Amanda
(Chatman)

I'm sort of new to succulent plant ownership. I've had a well-established Aloe vera for a few months now that's doing very well, so I wanted to try expanding. However, I'm not entirely sure what I have.

The first image is all four plants. One's around 4' tall and red on the top, I understand that's a grafted cactus. The remaining three are all fuzzy.

Any help would be much appreciated, and thank you!

need a name

by Emma
(California)

Its bright green and has a pink tone at the ends like that of what its planted in. It doesn't look like the donkeys tail.

Well, It's Blue-green...

by Karen
(NYC)

Sorry, I don't have a camera; I've been combing many online photos to no avail. This little guy is blue-green and each stem ends in a kind of elongated spade (the shovel, not the card suit) with three points, the longest being in the middle with those on the sides having length equal to each other. Any help would be most appreciated and thanks in advance. :)

Lost the tags!

by Kim
(UK)

We purchased several succulents last year, but the tags seem to have vanished! In the picture with the one that has the red flowers, I also need help identifying the ones behind and in front of it (though the one in front is kind of hard to see.)

Forgive the condition of my rock bed, we'd just started cleaning up!


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Never apologize for the state of your garden - it's always a work in progress!

The plant with the pink/red flowers looks like Saxifrage arendsii - you can see a picture of one called Purple Robe (which is actually pink) on the groundcovers for xeriscaping page. Does this seem to be the same?

The other little guy with pink stems and pale blue rosettes on the top is some type of Sedum spathufolium. There are several that are pinkish, very silvery white ones, and some that turn dark purple once cold weather arrives.

Hope this helps get you back on track!

Jacki

Looks like a Jade Plant, but has fuzzy leaves

by Debra
(Charlottesville, VA)

This doesn't appear to be any kind of parasite, but rather the natural texture of the leaves. It has the same shaped leaves and general characteristics of a Jade Plant, only the leaves are fuzzy.

I am not sure of the proper care of the plant (I was told it likes the outdoors and fresh air during the summer), and don't want to kill it out of ignorance. My smooth leafed Jade seems quite happy with 'benign neglect', that is watering it lightly about once a week or 10 days, and has more than tripled in size - baby plants appear underneath on a regular basis. Do I care for the fuzzy leafed one the same way? Or is it not a Jade Plant at all? If not, what is it?


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Debra, this looks like some type of Echeveria or other succulent plant (sorry, nothing's leaping out at me for identification), which requires the same kind of care as your Crassula (Jade Plant).

The hairy appearance is typical of some succulents as it is a common drought smart strategy.

Have a look at how to grow Echeveria and succulent care pages.

From the pictures, I wonder if it's getting enough light - the stems seem rather long as though they're stretching to get more light. This is a very important requirement for succulents of all kinds, so a bright window (east or south is best) and as you've already heard, outside in a bright place for the summer.

You should have good success with propagating this succulent, with the added benefit that it will cause more bushier growth to start from below where you cut off pieces to root as cuttings.

Jacki

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I have no clue what this is or how to care for it.

by Robert
(Minnesota)

The plant measures 13 cm wide and 10cm high, the spines are soft and fine.


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Robert, what an odd looking little creature you have.

When you see the flattened type of growth on this plant, it's caused by cells that are mutating, due to a genetic anomaly or some type of damage early on in the growth cycle.

As you can see, some of this type of growth is not really stable, meaning it can revert back to normal growth at any time, or normal seeming growth can have new 'fasciated' shoots coming off it.

Care of these is the same as for any normal cacti or succulent, with extra care not to get water on the top growth due to the convoluted folds.

If too much moisture gets into the crevices, it can cause rot.

See the page on succulent care for more detailed growing instructions.

Good luck with your oddity!
Jacki

Fuzzy Succulent

by Winnie
(San Bruno, California)

It's fuzzy! Please identify.

Unknown Wavy Tipped Succulent

I recently bought a small succulent, potted in a roughly 4" by 3" wide pot. The pot contains two small plants that sprout trumpet shaped leaves, flatten, fat, and ending in 5 wavy "toes." It's green and very soft, and the leaves will droop slightly when it hasn't been watered for a week, and they perk up when watered. the stalks have very fine reddish/brown hairs. When one of the leaves is broken open, it looks more like aloe. there also appears to be a small stalk growing that looks like it will flower - the small bud at the tip is finer than a pencil lead and looks orange/yellow.
Any help identifying this would be helpful!


Drought Smart Plants reply:

From your description this could be a Kalanchoe, which there are many different ones. Is it possible that it's the panda plant, which has soft hairy leaves, with darker edges?

Please send a picture if possible - your description is great, but a picture will jog my memory better.

If it is a Kalanchoe or similar, water thoroughly then allow to dry between waterings. Bright light is a must, and never allow them to sit in a saucer of water, and also make sure the pot has a drainage hole. Well drained soil, and a pebble mulch will help keep your succulent plant happy.

Happy Succulent Growing!
Jacki

Small, light green & fuzzy

by Rachel
(Santa Monica, CA)

My succulent is about 3.75" tall on one stalk with 3 short branches. On some of the branches, there are small, roundish fuzzy nubs. The leaves have a ripply edge and are no more than a half inch long. There are about a cluster of 8 leaves on each flower-like cluster of leaves. The plant was given to me by a friend and he said it was lamb's year, but when I googled it online, none of the photos of lambs ear look like it.

Please identify my spaghetti head succulent

by Linda
(Weeki Wachee, FL)

I have this plant as a houseplant. It is green with spaghetti-like foliage.

What kind of plant is this?

by Debra
(New York, NY)

I have had this plant for 4 years and have had to move it several times because I often switched offices. Unfortunately the light was very different in each office and I think the plant was affected by this. Can someone tell me what plant this is and if there is anything I can do to help it out? It just keeps growing taller and taller and I am needing to put a stake in it now.

(the pic does not show the bottom section of the plant which has very few leaves)


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Debra, boy that thing really went to town. It's hard to say for sure, but I think this is some type of Aloe, which require really bright light to stay compact. If it has little thorns on the edges of the leaves, then this most likely is some type of Aloe.

The best solution to your issue of needing to stake it is to simply untwist the top rosette and replant it as a new plant. It's not difficult - pretend it's a light bulb, and twist in one direction until the top comes off. It will most likely have some little white bumps on the side of the stem where it detaches, and these are known as 'adventitious roots'; they're just waiting for their chance to grow.

For more information, see the page on Succulent Plant Propagation, or buy the Succulent Plant Propagation E-Book.

For more on Aloe for comparison see the Old Curving Aloe Plant, and Identify Me.


Best of luck with your plant,
Jacki

Unknown Succulent cutting

by Zoe L
(Oxfordshire, UK)

This little guy came from a large full plant of which I took a cutting out of interest as all it said was 'Succulent'.

He grows from a stem which is red/brown and smooth which produces large, round, smooth leaves and then has extra stems of which form the 'rosettes'.

The rosettes have very small red pigments in the leaves on the youngest ones. The grow almost lop sided, with more larger leaves growing out of one side.

The larger plant grew almost flat as though it was a ground covering plant.

Small roots are growing out from the nodes.


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Zoe, it's difficult to completely 100% identify some succulent plants until they start growing in some characteristic way, so I'm very tentative about the identity of this great little plant. It looks rather like some of the Aeonium tribe, and based on your description could possibly be Aeonium tabulaeforme or something similar. Without seeing the plant you took the cutting from, and seeing its growth habit, I really can't be certain.

Alternatively, it also reminds me a bit of some of the Peperomia, with the thick fleshy leaves.

These options will give you a place to start, and if you check on Dave's Garden plant files, you may find out more:

Aeonium tabulaeforme

Peperomia obtusifolia

Tall, thin, palm-like, prehistoric looking succulent to ID please

by Eric Gregoire
(Cincinnati, Ohio)

I bought this plant and it was only a few inches tall. I didn't really know what I was doing it when I planted it in my terrarium. It has grown wildly this year in particular. I want to learn more about the plant because it is too large for the terrarium and it should be repotted - I also want to learn about if it is normal for it to lean the way that it has. Should it be propped up, is it possible to propagate the plant into others? I haven't been able to find this plant online or at any other stores since then...
Thanks!

It has a thick stem, leaves that are not thick, leaves are a bit fuzzy....

by Sara Rivka Dahan
(Galil Israel)

My unknown succulent

Would love to know what this is, can't seem to find a photo of it anywhere, thanks so very much! It has rosette like growth seen in other types of succulents, but has thin leaves.


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Sara; This one has me puzzled, I'll admit. The powdery coating and the shape are very much like an Echeveria, but as you say the foliage is thin.

It will probably be one of those that as soon as it blooms you'll say, oh, of course! I would be interested to see what the flowers are like, as I have no idea what it is.

Jacki

String beans on thin draping stem

by Becky
(Media, PA)

Hi, I found this plant on the shelf of bathtowels at Kmart and it was in severe need of some water and a decent home. Because it was in such bad shape the store let me buy it for 2.99

I repotted it at home and it looked gorgeous and happy for about a month and then it started to look sad and die off. I would like it to be happy again, but can't figure out what it needs because I don't know what it is. Can you help?

Thanks


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Wow, Becky - I can see why you wanted to rescue this plant! It is really cool.

A couple of things to check: When you repotted it, what kind of soil was it in, and what did you use for new soil? Also, did you remove soil from the roots? Sometimes if you use the wrong kind of soil (too much fertilizer, or too much lime in the soil) this will affect the plant. If the new soil holds too much water, and the plant needs good drainage, it could be rotting the roots.

Does the pot have a drainage hole? This is very important for all plants, and particularly for succulents.

I'm sorry I can't tell you what your plant is, I've never seen this one before.

Jacki

large wavy fleshy leaves

by mackenzie
(mass)

I am assuming this is a succulent. It's leaves are thick and fleshy. Long thin stalks have grown from the one leaf I was give (2ft tall)I'm assuming these will strengthen and tiny leaves have started to form. No sign of flowers. I was told it could be an orchid, upon some research I disagree, but I am no botanist

I was given this plant as one leaf, he told me if I put it in dirt it would grow, and it has. I have named him Stick until I get an official confirmation of species.


Drought Smart Plants reply:
I've revisited this one, and I think what this could be is Cereus, the Queen of the Night. That would be where the suggestion that it's an Orchid came from, as these quite often are called Orchid Cactus.

This particular one will bloom very rarely, and only at night, so if you see a bud starting, you'll have to check it during the night to actually see it bloom. The scent is supposed to be spectacular too, so this will certainly be an event to remember.

For some other closely related plants, see Epiphyllum here.

Jacki

please help identify my succulent

my girlfriend and i just bought this plant at our local nursery, and nobody working that day knew the name any way you could help? thanks!


Drought Smart Plants reply:

You have found one of the cutest little plants. Andromischus cristata, sometimes called Baby Toes (you can see why) is an easy to grow, slow growing and low maintenance addition to your succulent addiction (ahem, I mean, collection). Care is really easy, follow the guidelines on the succulent care page.

To propagate, simply remove a bit of stem with several of the 'toes' attached, and it will root easily after callousing. See the succulent plant propagation page for more details.

Congratulations on your new addition!

Jacki

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indoors...outside houseplant

This succulent plant has about 1 inch cylindrical parts branching off each other with tiny hairs. It's now hanging down out of the pot and it has gotten rounder at ends with increasing white hairs at the ends as well. A few weeks ago it appeared to grow leaves in middle of pot that are green and furry feeling and that part is about to flower a purplish looking flower. I don't see how another plant could have gotten in the pot. I feel it's because it has never been outside. I live in Tennessee and it has been HOT! Any help identifying would be greatly appreciated!


Drought Smart Plants reply;

This is two different plants in the same pot - the new one probably was dormant as a seed in the potting soil, and the conditions are just now right for it to grow. From what I can see, this looks like a Petunia! You'll be able to tell when it opens, as the bloom is like a trumpet shape.

As for the other little succulent, I can't tell from the picture what it is - it's similar to some of the Christmas Cactus based on your description.

See this page for more on Schlumbergera.

Good luck with your strange companions!
Jacki

Small Yellow Flowers with 4 Petals...

by Cheyenne
(Michigan)

My mother bought me a plant for my birthday that bloomed heartily in February-April in lower Michigan when it got full sun and lots of water.

The leaves are large and about 3 millimeters thick, and very waxy. They are medium green and don't grow in any certain pattern. The leaves tend to be a teardrop shape with wavy edges (sort of like if you cut them with craft scissors). The leaves have been able to grow larger than my fist.

I moved back to upper Michigan, and it isn't getting as much light. I'm worried for my plant, but my mom doesn't know what it is called, and it didn't come with a stick to tell me what it needed.


Hi Cheyenne, that certainly is a pretty plant - I'm sorry I can't identify it for you off the top of my head. As it's succulent, from the look of the leaves I would assume that it probably needs similar care to most other succulent plants. Bright light is the most crucial aspect of caring for succulents. They don't necessarily need full sun, but good curtain filtered light in a south or east window, or if that's not possible, a grow light.

See the page on Succulent Care for more information.

Jacki

Red to green leaves

It grows from the top only. The leaves begin red and turn green. I was suggested that I water it by putting water in the leaves. Is this a succulent?
I don't have a picture.

(Drought Smart Plants reply:

A picture would be very helpful - from your description of the plant, I don't know what this plant could be, but if someone told you to put water in the leaves, the only plant I know of that you do this to is the Bromeliad. These form a tube which should remain full of water, and it attracts small insects which fall in, and become the fertilizer for the plant. Another strange and unusual plant.

They are a long lived and well behaved plant as long as their tube stays filled with water. I suggest using warmed water as they are jungle plants.

Jacki

Hanging vine-like succulent

by Joseph
(San Francisco, CA,, USA)

detail of vine

This is a hanging vine-like plant that I believe to be a succulent. The vines are about 4 feet long with small (1 inch) cigar shaped "leaves".

Ever since I moved it to another room with less light it hasn't been doing well, and I would like to know what type of plant it is so I can research how to best care for it.


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Joseph, your plant seems to be really similar to this String Beans on thin Draping Stem - could it be the same plant?

In any event, if it was happy in the first place you had it, maybe you can try and copy the conditions. Light levels are usually the most important factor, but you can have problems with dry air, cold air from an air conditioner, or the type of water you use to water it.

Hopefully, you can tell if it is the same plant, as there is a lot of information there from another visitor to the site.

Happy Gardening!
Jacki

small leaves, ground cover type plant

by doug gardner
(grand blanc, mi. usa)

Not sure if it is a sedum variety or not. planted in full sun, about 10 inches in circumference and only seems to flower on the ends. very low to the ground with very little height. was planted at a cemetery so it is sold commercially.


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Doug, what you have is Portulaca, or the Sun Rose. What a perfect little easy care plant for cemeteries, as it happily endures drought and poor soil, and requires very little in the way of care.

See also these posts about a Basket of Unknown Beauty, Jade Like Vines with Bright Yellow and Pink Flowers and Two Succulents Flowering for more.

Jacki

Very tall jade

by Andrew S.
(Ithaca, NY, U.S.)

When I first bought this jade, it had two tall pieces. As you can see from one of the pictures, I tried to trim (and propagate) the one stem, it was growing sideways (as is the only remaining one now). The piece that I tried to propagate just shriveled up and died. I've tried to use leaves and stem pieces, nothing.

I don't know what type of jade this is, since it's leaves are very different from my other jade.

I was just wondering what is a good way to try and trim this piece and propagate this type of jade?


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Andrew, I think part of the problem is that your plant is not really a 'Jade', or more correctly known as Crassula argentea, but is most likely Portulacaria, or Elephants Food. These are sometimes sold as 'miniature Jade' but they are in fact quite different.

Although succulent, the leaves are very much finer in texture than Crassula argentea, so this could be part of the problem with propagating it. It's possible that the leaves are drying out before making roots. My tried and true method of propagating most succulents is to leave the cutting to callous at least overnight, sometimes longer, which encourages it to root, and not rot.

In many cases, simply cutting back the overgrown part of the plant will encourage it to break more buds from lower down, eventually making a much more uniform and stable plant. This is what I would try, and hopefully some of the pieces you cut off will root to form more plants.

Happy Propagating!
Jacki

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Gasteria of some kind

by Mark
(Cleveland, OH)

@ 3" tall, dark green tall narrow fleshy leaves with pale green spots. Doesn't seem to like full sun, or lots of water.

Succulent Plant Pictures Attached

Just bought yesterday in Orange county, california. Looks like little green balls. 2 pink blooms. the pot is a 3 inch.


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Oh, that is the sweetest little succulent plant! And I have no idea what it is - when I first saw it I thought it resembled Senecio rowleyana, but that grows in a vine type growth. Your little succulent looks like it has thicker stems. And those flowers - very cute.

Sorry I can't identify your little plant, maybe another visitor will recognize it.

Jacki

The twenty cent succulent plant

by anja
(mn)

I rescued this plant from where I work (a large box store) and gave it a new home.

The stem of this succulent plant is lime green with a bundle of stems at the base not a bulb.

The plant right now is about 4-5 inches tall and has leaves that curve inwards somewhat. The leaves are smooth not furry.

I have another one of this same succulent plant which had grown three large offshoots which I removed. Unfortunately, one died but the other two are doing well.

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