Ornamental Horticulture

The common cacti and succulents

Some of the common cacti and succulents are described below





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	They are long stemmed, vigorous growing, thorny, hardy plants. They are leafless climbers can reach the top of tall trees. They bloom during night and flowers are large, white and scented. They can be used as rootstock for Epiphyllum and phyllocactus.
5.	Echeveria	Cotyledon or Oyster plant. They are small succulent herbaceous perennials with dense rosettes of small leaves. Useful for growing in higher elevation. Useful for edging flower beds or in carpet beds in the hills. Propagated from suckers and also by leaves.
6.	Echinocactus	Hedge Hog Cactus. Small unbranching. Ovoid or globes succulent, prickly plant. They resemble a ribbed melon of the size of a cricket ball with star-like arrangement of thorns along the ribs. Golden Barrel is another variety with large ribbed green ball armed with straight golden yellow spines.
7.	Echinocereus	Low growing plants forming groups of clusters. They can be grown in small pots and they produce large flowers.
8.	Echinopsis	Hedge– Hog Cactus. Small spiny succulent. They produce detachable offsets. Suitable for growing in small pots for their increasing flowers. Propagated by offsets.
9.	Epiphyllum	Christmas Cactus or Crab Cactus. Plants with flattened succulent stems. The plants are spineless and bear usually large attractive flowers. Propagated by cuttings and can be used as rootstock.
10.	Euphorbia	Stems are thorny, leaves small. Stem and leaves discharge poisonous milky juice when punctured. Propagated by cutting.
11.	Furcraea	Ornamental foliage plants resembling agaves the variegated spines are very attractive. The flower, stem resembles that of Agaves and bears innumerable bulbils from which this species is propagated.
12.	Gasteria	Aloe-like small evergreen succulent plants with fleshy, thick tongue shaped leaves which are green, spotted with or purple. Propagated by offsets and leaf cuttings.
13.	Haworthia	Small plants with or without a short stem, leaves in rosettes or closely overlapping or arranged in several rows. Easily propagated by offsets.
14.	Kalanchoe	Dwarf succulent plant resembling. Bryophyllum with thick fleshy leaves from which they are propagated.
15.	Mammillaria	Nipple cactus or Elephant’s Tooth cactus. Dwarf plants with leafless cylindrical or globular stems bearing over their surface, small tubercles and each tubercle being covered by a rosette of hairy spines. Propagated by offsets.