Cacti and Succulents used for Landscaping

Cactus is characterized by the presence of areoles, which often look like woolly cushions carrying spines, hairs or glochids and the flowers arise from or near the areoles

1. Dr. M. Kumaresan (Hort.)
Floriculture and Landscaping
VelsInstitute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies (VISTAS)
Pallavaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu -600117

2. Cacti and Succulents
•Cacti and succulents have special structures to store water in thick fleshy leaves or stems
•Cactus is characterized by the presence of areoles, which often look like woolly cushions carrying
spines, hairs or glochids and the flowers arise from or near the areoles
•Spines in a cactus are modified leaves which provide shade against scorching sun and help in
conservation of moisture besides protecting against birds and animals
•Thrive best in sunny situations and are light loving
•Little care except when actively growing
All the cacti are succulents on account of storing water but all the succulents are not cacti

3. Sl. No.Common Name Remarks
1. Agave
•Evergreen massive growing plant with short stem and leaves in a close rosette
•Leaves are stiff, leathery and fibrous.
2. Aloe •Plants are evergreen with soft, succulent thick leaves, often prickly or spiny resembling the
Agaves
•Some species have variegated foliage and are suited for pot culture
3.
Bryophyllum
•It is an erect growing succulent herb with thick fleshy simple leaves
•It is good pot plant and could be easily propagated by leaves or leaf cuttings
4. Cereus
•Long stemmed, vigorous growing, thorny, hardy plants
•Leafless climbers can reach the top of tall trees
•Bloom during night and flowers are large, white and scented
•Used as rootstock for Epiphyllum and phyllocactus
Common Cacti and Succulents

4. Common Cacti and Succulents
5. Echeveria
•Small succulent herbaceous perennials with dense rosettes of small leaves
•Growing in higher elevation for edging flower beds or in carpet beds
•Propagated from suckers and also by leaves.
6.
Echinocactus
•Small unbranching
•Ovoid or globes succulent, prickly plant
•Golden Barrel: large ribbed green ball carrying with straight golden yellow spines
7.
Echinocereus
•Low growing plants forming groups of clusters
•Grown in small pots and they produce large flowers
8. Echinopsis
•Small spiny succulent
•Produce detachable offsets
•Suitable for growing in small pots for their increasing flowers
•Propagated by offsets

5. Common Cacti and Succulents
9. Epiphyllum
•Plants with flattened succulent stems
•Spineless and bear usually large attractive flowers
•Propagated by cuttings and can be used as rootstock
10. Euphorbia
•Stems are thorny, leaves small
•Propagated by cutting
11. Furcraea
•Plants resembling agaves
•Variegated spines are very attractive
•Flowers, stem resembles that of Agaves
•Propagated by bulbils
12. Gasteria
•Aloe-like small evergreen succulent plants with fleshy, thick tongue shaped leaves
Propagated by offsets and leaf cuttings

6. Common Cacti and Succulents
13. Haworthia
•Small plants with or without a short stem
•Leaves in rosettes or closely overlapping or arranged in several rows
•Propagated by offsets
14. Kalanchoe
•Dwarf succulent plant
•Leaves are thick fleshy
•Propagated by leaf cutting
15. Mammillaria
•Nipple cactus or Elephant‟s Tooth cactus
•Dwarf plants with leafless cylindrical or globular stems
•Propagated by offsets.

8. Echinocactus grusonii (Golden Ball)
•Family: Cactaceae
•Stem is globular and flat at top with
white/ yellow in colour
•Spines are yellow or white colours
•Flowers are small tubular and brown in
colour

9. Echinocactus grusonii (Golden Ball)

10. Echinocactus grusonii (Golden Ball)

11. Cephalocereus senilis (Old Man Cactus)
•Family: Cactaceae
•Stem is columnar - straight
•Areoles are large with 1-5 yellowish spines
•Flowers are reddish and opening during
night

12. Cephalocereus senilis (Old Man Cactus)

13. Cephalocereus senilis (Old Man Cactus)

14. Rebutia krainziana
•Family: Cactaceae
•Small, colorful cacti, globular in form,
which freely produce flowers
•Flower colours: Red, Yellow, Orange etc.,

15. Rebutia
krainziana

16. Rebutia
krainziana

17. Rebutia muscula (Orange Snowball)

18. Rebutia margarethae (British Cactus)

19. Rebutia heliosa

20. Echinopsis chamaecereus (Hedge Hog Cactus)

21. Gymnocalycium mihanovichii (Plain Chain Cactus)
•Family: Cactaceae
•Stem is depressed with globular shape in
many colours like pink, yellow red, etc.
•Areoles are 3 on each rib and radical 5 spines
•Flowers are creamy white

22. Astrophytum ornatum (Monk’s Hood)
•Family: Cactaceae
•Stem spherical with silvery scales
•Areoles are 5-11, yellow-brown spines
•Flowers are light yellow appearing at tip

23. Agave victoriae-reginae (Queen Agave)
•Family: Agavaceae
•Rosette spherical shaped plant with numerous
leaves
•Leaves marked with white lines on the
margins

24. Opuntia ficus indica (Indian fig)
•Family: Cactaceae
•Plant is shrubbery growing to 3-4m tall with
profuse flat branching.
•Areoles are white
•Flowers are pale yellow
•Fruits pear shaped and red when ripened.

25. Schlumbergera bridgesii (Christmas cactus)
•Family: Cactaceae
•Stem is initially erect, flat, segmented and
recurving later with 2-3 notched on
either side.
•Flowers are cherry red

26. Selenicereus grandiflorus
(Queen of Night/ Brahma Kamal)
•Family: Cactaceae
•Climbing type cactus with flat
segmented stem and pinkish
red large scented flowers
opening during mid night.

27. Mammillaria grahamii (Graham's Nipple Cactus)

28. Mammillaria plumosa (Feather Cactus)

29. Mammillaria hahniana (Old Lady Cactus )

30. Carnegieagigantea (Saguarocactus)

31. Acanthocereus tetragonus (Fairy Castle Cactus )

33. Bryophyllum Pinnatum
(Mother of Thousands/Miracle Leaf)

34. Euphorbia milii (Crown of Thorns)
•Family: Euphorbiaceae
•Spiny shrubbery succulent with long green
leaves.
•Inflorescence is red, pink and yellow
colours.

35. Echeveria mazarine
(Rock Rose/Big lotus)
•Family: Crassulaceae
•Low growing stem
•Leaves appearing in rosette
•Flowers are red, pink, yellow colour and
appear in raceme.

36. Echeveria elegan Echeveria laui

37. Echeveria setosa
(Mexican Firecracker)
Echeveria setosa rundelli

38. Gasteria carinata verrucosa (Warty Aloe)
•Family: Liliaceae
•Attractive succulent
•Suckering from the base with green leathery
leaves
•Leaves having white spots and red tips.

39. Haworthia fasciata
•Family: Crassulaceae
•Stemless rosette plant
•leaves with spiny tips
•White markings in parallel lines

40. Haworthia cooperi
•Family: Crassulaceae
•Beautiful succulent plant with white,
translucent leaves that have a distinctive
“window” pattern bulbous, fleshy leaves and
thin skin lined with light veins

41. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (Kalanchoe)
•Family: Crassulaceae
•Bushy and compact stem
•Growing erect with fleshy ovate-oblong
leaves
•Flowers appear in bunches of red, yellow,
pink or purple colours.

42. Sedum morganianum (Donkey Tail)
•Family: Crassulaceae
•It is a sub-shrub with thick, round and
drooping stem.
•Leaves are curved/ elongate and
overlapping densely.
•Inflorescence is terminal with small
scarlet flowers.

43. Crassula arborescens (Silver Dollar/ Jade)
•Family: Crassulaceae
•Branching shrubbery succulent
•Leaves are thick green with reddish dots
•Flowers are white to pink

44. Aloe arborescens (Aloe)
•Family: Liliaceae
•Plants are initially stem less
•Leaves appear in loose rosette,
spreading sword shaped and thick
•Flowers are red or yellow appearing
tall inflorescence like spike

45. Aeonium arboreum (Aeonium)
•Family: Crassulaceae
•Shrubbery succulent
•Growing to one meter tall.
•Leaves appear in dense rosette
•Flowers are golden yellow.