Types

• Arrangements of succulents have become more common in many climes
  
  Succulents are a group of plants that get their name from the fleshy structures that make up the bulk of the plant. Sometimes these look like thick leaves, other times these are more stem-like structures. Regardless of the external look, the internal structures of succulents are designed to retain water. This gives them the flesh-like appearance from which they take their name. There are many different kinds of succulents and they are found all over the world. They are also popular plants for home gardening. Some of the most common are the cactus, the aloe and the agave.
  
  

Aloe

• An aloe plant in the wild
  
  Originally a native of Africa, the aloe plant can be found in homes all around the world, largely due to its medicinal properties when the liquid from inside the plant is rubbed on burns and other similar wounds. There are numerous kinds of aloe plants, nearly 400 species, but only a few have healing benefits. They do all share a similar design, however. They have thick leaves that look like pointy green tongues and they radiate outward from the center. Some aloes have a stem, others do not. Like other succulents, it is a flowering plant, though it does not flower often.
  
  

Agave

• The agave is also known as the "Century Plant"
  
  The agave is another common succulent. Sometimes referred to as the Century Plant because of the idea that it only blooms once a century, although under the right conditions it may bloom as often as every 20 years or so. A popular garden plant, it comes in a number of varieties including a the "Blue Agave," which is used in the making of Tequila. Aside from its use in liquor, many other parts of the agave are edible, and it is used for multiple purposes by many indigenous peoples. It is a native of the Americas, particularly Mexico but it is also found in the Southwestern United States and down to South America.
  
  

Cactus

• Cacti come in all shapes and sizes
  
  Probably the most familiar family of succulents are the cacti. They are well adapted to dry, hot, environments and commonly found in deserts of the Americas. Cactus come in a number of sizes and shapes, from the towering saguaro to the smaller varieties no bigger than a tennis ball. The distinguishing features of all cacti are the spikes radiating off of a central body. They are flowering plants, with many species adapted to flowering at night to avoid their blooms withering in the hot sun of the desert. However, the smaller varieties are also popular as house plants and used in horticulture.
  
  

Features

• Spikes are a common (and painful) feature of succulents
  
  Regardless of type, succulents all have several features in common. The majority of them are plants that are naturally found in arid climates, which is why they have bodies adapted for retaining moisture. Many of them have either spikes or spike-like protuberances. Not all of these are sharp like the needles on a cactus, as the aloe plant's spikes are rubbery to the touch despite giving the illusion of being sharp. All succulents are designed so that the chief structure for photosynthesis, the method by which plants turn sunlight into food, occurs mainly in the stem or other thick structures rather than through leaves like on other plants.