{"id":960,"date":"2023-07-04T23:09:08","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T23:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.succulentsforlife.com\/?p=960"},"modified":"2023-09-06T23:24:48","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T23:24:48","slug":"what-is-a-succulent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.succulentsforlife.com\/care\/what-is-a-succulent\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is A Succulent? Where Do They Come From & How To Spot One"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Despite their ever-growing popularity one of the most common questions asked about succulents is what are they. Of course, we all know them as tough little drought-tolerant plants but that doesn\u2019t really offer much of an answer as it doesn\u2019t help you identify them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is a succulent? The word succulent is typically used to describe any plant that stores water in its leaves or in its stem but it is also sometimes used when referring to a plant that\u2019s native to dry, arid regions. That said people agree that plants with thick, fleshy leaves are succulents.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I first started growing succulents I had absolutely no idea what they were, other than beautiful plants that didn\u2019t need much care. Being an inquisitive person I wanted to know more about these hardy plants so decided to research exactly what they are and where they come from. Over the years I\u2019ve learned a lot and I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll be as surprised as I was when you discover exactly what a succulent is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When pushed to describe what a succulent is most people will tell you that it\u2019s a plant that has thick leaves and originally comes from the desert. While this might be true of some succulents it\u2019s not exactly a definitive answer to the question of what a succulent actually is. Yes, they do tend to have bulbous leaves and are far more common in dry, arid regions but this isn\u2019t always the case and certainly isn\u2019t true for every succulent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What might surprise you is that there\u2019s no scientific definition of what a succulent is which means that there\u2019s a lot of individual interpretation involved in defining a succulent. That said though, most people do agree on what characteristics make a plant a succulent, and those characteristics are leaves (and stems), climate, drought tolerance, and the ease with which they can be propagated<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\nWhat is a succulent?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n