86 Cacti and succulents
Cacti and succulents store their own water in thick, fleshy leaves and stems, which is exactly why they forgive a forgetful owner. Every plant here is one whose own notes mark it out as a succulent or cactus - built for bright light, gritty soil and long gaps between watering rather than the steady moisture most houseplants want.
The one rule that matters: water thoroughly, then let the soil dry out completely before the next drink. More succulents die from staying wet than from drought - err dry, give them the brightest window you have, and use a gritty, free-draining mix.
Agave
Agaves are bold, architectural succulents that form dramatic rosettes of thick, pointed leaves…
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is a tough, sun-loving succulent that asks for almost nothing - and inside its plump…
Baby Toes
Baby toes is an oddball little succulent that grows a cluster of upright, finger-like leaves…
Baseball Plant (Euphorbia obesa)
The baseball plant is a curious, spineless, ball-shaped euphorbia patterned with subtle…
Bear's Paw
Bear's paw is an irresistibly cute succulent whose chunky, fuzzy leaves are tipped with rows of…
Bishop's Cap Cactus
The bishop's cap is a spineless, sculptural little cactus shaped like a plump star or a…
Blue Chalksticks (Curio repens)
Blue chalksticks is a low, spreading succulent whose plump, finger-shaped leaves are coated a…
Blue Columnar Cactus
The blue columnar cactus is one of the most beautiful cacti in the world - an upright column of…
Brain Cactus
The brain cactus is a crested mutation of the ladyfinger cactus whose stems grow in waving…
Bunny Ears Cactus
The bunny ears cactus is a charming small opuntia whose flat, oval pads sprout in pairs like a…
Burro's Tail (Sedum morganianum)
The Burro's Tail - Sedum morganianum, also known as the donkey's tail - is a trailing succulent…
Calico Hearts (Adromischus maculatus)
Calico hearts is a small, slow, charming succulent whose thick, flattened, heart-shaped leaves…
Cholla Cactus
The cholla is a shrubby, branching cactus of cylindrical segments cloaked in barbed spines so…
Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera)
The Christmas Cactus is a beloved heirloom houseplant - the one that bursts into vivid, exotic…
Claret Cup Cactus
The claret cup is a hardy, clustering hedgehog cactus that mounds into a dome of spiny green…
Crassula Perforata (String of Buttons)
Crassula perforata - the "String of Buttons" - is a charming, easy-going succulent whose small…
Crinkle-Leaf Plant
The crinkle-leaf plant is a small, slow, charming succulent grown for its wedge-shaped…
Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii)
The Crown of Thorns is a tough, sun-loving succulent shrub that does something remarkable: it…
Desert Rose
The desert rose is a spectacular caudex succulent that swells into a fat, sculptural…
Dragon Fruit Cactus
The dragon fruit cactus is the climbing, sprawling cactus behind the vivid pink pitaya you see…
Echeveria
Echeveria is a rosette succulent with a plump, symmetrical, flower-like rosette.
Echinopsis (Sea-Urchin Cactus)
Echinopsis cacti are small, globular desert cacti famous for a spectacular disappearing act…
Euphorbia Trigona (African Milk Tree)
The African Milk Tree, Euphorbia trigona, is a bold, architectural houseplant that looks…
Fairy Castle Cactus
The fairy castle cactus is a charming, slow-growing cactus that branches into a cluster of…
Feather Cactus
The feather cactus looks like a cluster of little snowballs wrapped in down - its spines have…
Fishbone Cactus (Epiphyllum anguliger)
The Fishbone Cactus - Epiphyllum anguliger - is a trailing jungle cactus grown above all for…
Fishhook Barrel Cactus
The fishhook barrel is a big, ribbed desert globe armed with fierce, hooked red spines that…
Gasteria (Ox Tongue)
Gasteria is a small, tough, slow-growing succulent from South Africa, best known for its thick…
Ghost Plant
The ghost plant is an easy, fast-growing rosette succulent in soft, ghostly shades of pale…
Golden Barrel Cactus
The golden barrel is a plump, globe-shaped cactus wrapped in dense golden-yellow spines, one of…
Gollum Jade
Gollum jade is a quirky cultivar of the classic jade plant whose leaves have rolled into…
Gymnocalycium (Chin Cactus)
Gymnocalyciums are rounded, easy-going desert cacti named for their smooth, spineless flower…
Hatiora (Easter Cactus)
The Easter Cactus (Hatiora gaertneri, sometimes sold as Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri or…
Haworthia (Zebra Plant & Window Plants)
Haworthia is the small, tough, charming succulent that fits almost anywhere - a desk, a…
Hoya Linearis
Hoya linearis looks like no other hoya - a waterfall of soft, needle-thin, fuzzy strands…
Ice Plant
The ice plant is a low, spreading succulent smothered, in summer, in brilliant daisy-like…
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
The Jade Plant is a small, sturdy succulent tree that can become a lifelong companion - often…
Jelly Bean Plant
The jelly bean plant, or 'pork and beans', is a cheerful little sedum whose plump, bean-shaped…
Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)
The Flaming Katy Kalanchoe is the cheerful, easy succulent that you buy already bursting with…
Ladyfinger Cactus
The ladyfinger cactus is a neat, easy mammillaria that forms clusters of slender, upright…
Lifesaver Plant (Huernia zebrina)
The lifesaver plant is a low, creeping succulent with toothed stems and one of the oddest…
Lithops (Living Stones)
Lithops are among the strangest and most fascinating plants you can keep on a windowsill.
Madagascar Palm
The Madagascar palm is not a palm at all, but a striking spiny succulent with a thick, silvery…
Monkey Tail Cactus
The monkey tail cactus grows long, trailing, furry white stems that spill over the pot edge…
Moon Cactus
The moon cactus is the eye-catching, brightly coloured little cactus you see topped with a ball…
Moonstones
Moonstones is a slow, plump rosette succulent whose fat, egg-shaped leaves come in dreamy…
Mother of Thousands
Mother of thousands is a succulent that grows a fringe of tiny, ready-rooted plantlets along…
Old Lady Cactus
The old lady cactus is a plump, globe-shaped Mammillaria wrapped in a soft-looking veil of fine…
Old Man Cactus
The old man cactus is an unmistakable columnar cactus draped in long, shaggy white hairs, like…
Organ Pipe Cactus
The organ pipe is a majestic columnar cactus that, true to its name, sends up a cluster of…
Paddle Plant (Flapjacks)
The paddle plant, or flapjacks, is a bold succulent that stacks big, flat, rounded leaves like…
Panda Plant
The panda plant is a charming, fuzzy succulent whose plump grey-green leaves are coated in…
Parodia (Ball Cactus)
Parodias, or ball cacti, are neat, globular desert cacti that ring their crowns with cheerful…
Peanut Cactus
The peanut cactus is a small, fast-clustering cactus whose finger-like stems really do look…
Peperomia
Peperomia is not one plant but a huge, wonderfully varied family of compact, easy, pet-safe…
Peperomia Hope
Peperomia Hope is a compact, semi-trailing houseplant loved for its plump, coin-shaped leaves…
Peruvian Apple Cactus
The Peruvian apple is a tall, columnar, blue-green cactus that grows faster than almost any…
Pig's Ear (Cotyledon orbiculata)
Pig's ear is a bold South African succulent named for its thick, rounded, paddle-shaped leaves…
Pincushion Cactus
Pincushion cacti (Mammillaria) are small, rounded, easy-going desert cacti that reliably ring…
Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)
The Ponytail Palm is one of the most charming and characterful houseplants there is - a…
Portulacaria Afra (Dwarf Jade / Elephant Bush)
Portulacaria afra - known as Dwarf Jade or Elephant Bush - is a fast-growing, bushy succulent…
Prickly Pear Cactus
The prickly pear, or opuntia, is the classic flat-padded cactus, forming chains of…
Propeller Plant (Crassula falcata)
The propeller plant is a sculptural crassula whose thick, sickle-shaped grey-green leaves stack…
Rat Tail Cactus
The rat tail cactus is a trailing desert cactus grown for its long, slender, pendant stems that…
Rebutia (Crown Cactus)
Rebutias are tiny, clustering desert cacti that flower so freely and so young that a small pot…
Rhipsalis (Mistletoe Cactus)
Rhipsalis - the "Mistletoe Cactus" - is a cactus that breaks all the rules you think you know…
Ruby Necklace (Othonna capensis)
Ruby necklace is a fast, trailing succulent whose bean-shaped leaves hang on striking ruby-red…
Saguaro Cactus
The saguaro is the giant, tree-like cactus of the American Southwest, an icon of the desert…
Sand Rose (Anacampseros rufescens)
The sand rose is a small, slow, jewel-like succulent forming low clusters of pointed rosettes…
Sempervivum (Hens and Chicks)
Sempervivums, or hens and chicks, are tough little rosette succulents that multiply into tidy…
Silver Torch Cactus
The silver torch is a slender, upright columnar cactus wrapped so densely in fine white spines…
Spiral Cactus
The spiral cactus is a mesmerising columnar cactus whose ribs twist gently around the stem in a…
Split Rock (Pleiospilos nelii)
The split rock is a living-stone succulent that looks exactly like a granite pebble cracked in…
Stapelia (Starfish Flower)
The stapelia is a leafless clumping succulent grown for one of the most extraordinary flowers…
Star Cactus
The star cactus is a small, spineless, geometric gem - a low, ribbed dome divided into neat…
String of Bananas (Curio radicans)
The String of Bananas - sometimes still sold under its older name Senecio radicans - is one of…
String of Dolphins (Senecio peregrinus)
String of Dolphins is one of the most charming novelty succulents you can grow.
String of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii)
The String of Hearts is one of the most delicate and romantic of all trailing houseplants…
String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus / Curio rowleyanus)
String of Pearls is one of the most distinctive and photogenic of all houseplants - long…
String of Turtles (Peperomia prostrata)
The String of Turtles - Peperomia prostrata - is a delicate, slow-growing trailing plant grown…
Tiger Jaws
Tiger jaws is a small, characterful succulent whose fat triangular leaves are edged with soft…
Totem Pole Cactus
The totem pole cactus is a smooth, spineless, sculptural column covered in soft, knobbly bumps…
Turk's Cap Cactus
The Turk's cap is a charming small cactus that grows into a spiny green globe, then (once…
Watch Chain Plant (Crassula muscosa)
The watch chain plant is a curious crassula whose tiny, scale-like leaves stack so tightly…
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
With glossy, almost artificial-looking leaves and a near-supernatural tolerance for low light…
ZZ Raven (Zamioculcas zamiifolia 'Raven')
The ZZ Raven is a dark cultivar of the classic ZZ Plant whose new leaves emerge bright…
Prefer to filter yourself? Try the Plant Finder to narrow all houseplants by light and watering.
Choosing a plant for a home with pets? Our table of plants toxic to cats and dogs shows what every profile says - and the reference behind it is the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.