Pernell Gerver's Featured Plant of the Month House Plant Succulents Burro's Tail Aloe vera Kalanchoe pumila Jade plant Living Stones  To order house plant succulents from Pernell Gerver's Online Store click here or click on a plant name below.

The term "succulents" is often mentioned in the same breath with cacti. Cacti and succulents comprise a huge group of plants, many of which are grown as house plants. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Succulents have thick, fleshy stems and leaves, and to confuse matters even more, they may have spines like a cactus. When you consider how many different types of cacti there are in the world, and those are all classified as succulents, plus those succulents that aren't cacti, then you realize what a large group of plants succulents is. Some of the most unique, diverse, or odd succulents include sedum, aloe, kalanchoe, jade plant, and lithop. Succulents are a diverse group of plants in various shapes. Even within the same genus there are many variations. In sedum there are many types including burro's tail, a trailing, pale-green-leaved succulent good for hanging baskets. Also called donkey tail or horse tail, its long stems carry cylindrical, fleshy leaves that are pointed on the end. The leaves are just under an inch long and less than a half inch wide. The leaves are held closely together on the stem and overlap each other. The leaves are pale green and covered with a whitish coating, called "bloom." It's an ideal candidate for a hanging pot. There are many different types of aloe including Aloe vera commonly used to soothe and heal skin burns. Aloe vera is often added to skin care products, but growing a plant of it on the kitchen windowsill is a handy place to have it in the event of a skin burn. Just simply break off a leaf, split it, and spread the juice over the burn. Kalanchoe also has many forms in various shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Kalanchoe pumila has thick leaves that are silver and covered with a powdery coating called "bloom." The leaves are about an inch long and carried in rosettes on the stems. It bears clusters of silvery-pink flowers that are carried on thin stems that rise above the foliage. The flowers appear in mid winter at a time when flowers are needed most indoors! The flowers remain colorful for weeks. One of the most popular succulents is the jade plant. There are at least a half a dozen forms of jade plant, each one of which is handsome. The common jade plant has thick, rounded dark green leaves attached to a swollen trunk. Old specimens can get rather large and take on a tree-like appearance. Jade plant also blooms. Many succulents are considered oddities of the plant world. Lithops, often called "living stones," are a curious lot of succulents. They have actually learned to mimic stones so that they don't get eaten. These succulents are short and stubby, less than an inch or so wide and tall. Its succulent leaves are flat topped with transparent “windows” that let light into the plant. Small, white flowers appear in the center split in late summer and through fall. During winter, new leaves form within the center of the plant. As the new leaves grow, the old leaves shrivel up.   Click here to browse Pernell Gerver's Online Store Email me every time a new Plant of the Month is added. Your email address: Confirm your email address:   To read my past choices for Plant of the Month click here.

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