Strange Succulents to Add to Your Collections
10 Strange Succulents to Add to Your Plant Collection
“We are the weirdos mister.” This memorable line from The Craft certainly applies to the world of succulents. No other plant type comes in such a phenomenal array of colors and bizarre forms that might as well come from an alien planet. They’re prickly, distinct, and even psychedelic. And what’s great about these strange plants is that they’re easy to maintain, take up little space, and can effortlessly brighten up dull areas.
Succulents can be grown in pots, glass terrariums, and even raised garden beds for a smorgasbord of color. Many of them require well-draining soil, as provided by a potting mix heavy in pumice or perlite. Below is a list of a few strange fellows to add to your plant collection. And yes, some of them are indeed quite goth.
- Lithops
Also known as the living stone plant, lithops are strange, pebbly succulents with bumpy textures that resemble critters found on the underside of craggy rock faces. Unlike other succulents, they can be difficult to keep alive. A lack of sun, a substrate of pure pumice (they prefer a finer substrate), and other factors can cause them to shrivel up. This site recommends a gravelly mix of 2 parts decomposed granite, 1 part loam soil, 1 part gravel (builders sand), and 1 part pumice to keep them alive.
- Monkey Tail Cactus
With floppy spines covered in downy hair, reminiscent of the furriness of a monkey’s tail, monkey tail cactus is an odd cactus that originates from the rocky mountains of Bolivia. But its strange loveliness really starts to kick in when it starts sprouting corral-pink flowers, which can be coaxed to flower abundantly given a period of cool rest in the winter. Typically, one feeding of a balanced fertilizer with low nitrogen content during the growing season is ideal.
- Aloe divaricata 'Diablo'
Many members of the Aloe family tend to be plain, but not this cactus. The word ‘diablo,’ translating to ‘devil’ in Spanish, alludes to the striking color of the plant, a fiendish maroon as surely as if it had emerged from the fires of the Underworld. It exhibits spiny foliage that branches out into racemes of tubular, orange-red flowers. Like many other succulents, it thrives in well-draining soil and bright, indirect light (direct light can scorch its leaves).
- Rainbow Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus rigidissimus 'Rubispinus')
The rainbow hedgehog cactus is a rotund, whimsical cactus dotted with thick, curling spines, giving it a blush-like, raspberry color. When it flowers, it tends to do so at its crown, a florid unveiling of hot pink flowers, like a Hawaiian party hat. It prefers airy, porous soil – a well-draining cactus mix is essential (often provided with extra addition of perlite). If placed outside, the flowers are attractive to pollinators. More so than most succulents, this cactus eschews too much water – overwatering can lead to root rot.
- Echeveria 'Black Prince'
Like its name suggests, the Echeveria 'Black Prince' is a stately succulent that could well be a décor of choice for a villainous lord in a dark fantasy novel. Its fleshy rosettes are compact and clean, tinged a near-black and with none of the drama that comes with extra prickly cactuses. Grow along with other darkly-colored succulents for a gothic display or contrast with lighter plants for a beautiful chiaroscuro effect. A watering bottle, designed to target the base, is great for attending to its watering needs.
- Clear Succulents
With a surreal appearance like something straight out of sci-fi, this bizarre cactus, otherwise known as Haworthia cooperi, is a taxonomical curiosity that resembles alien pods – or glossy raindrops – translucent to allow light to pass through for photosynthesis. It’s usually available online at marketplaces like Etsy, or you might try your luck at home improvement stores, where rare or unusual species tend to dwell among unremarkable jade plants. And while they may look like gushers, we don’t recommend sampling or popping them.
- Spiral Cactus 'Cereus forbesii spiralis'
We’re all a little bit twisted – and that’s alright. Make a statement with this intriguing cactus, a twisted masterpiece that spirals out like a magnificent candelabra in a great house. Originally brought from Brazil, it’s in the Cereus genus, which houses the elusive night-blooming cereus. And like its brother, its own flowers are ephemeral, lasting only the span of a single day. However, if left unchecked, it can grow to monstrous proportions of up to 12 ft tall. Succulents can usually be pruned with garden shears – or for larger ones – a hori hori knife.
- Starfish Flower Cactus
It’s as if Patrick from SpongeBob was tacked onto a plant, albeit dehydrated. Its baser nature becomes clear with its alternate name – carrion plant. Stinky and carnivorous, it’s not the most appealing, like Patrick himself, but there’s always a subset that appreciate this off-putting succulent. Reeking of the horrifying stench of carrion, it attracts flies that it traps and devours, which can be helpful if you’ve combatting a fruit fly infestation – or simply possess a macabre nature.
- Aztekium
If you seek a succulent that’s truly rare, look no further than the Aztekium. Cultivated only in a small region of Mexico, it appears a gnarled mishmash of the strange and wondrous: star-shaped sections characterized by prominent tubercles that are said to resemble Aztec architecture. In its native Mexico, it grows in a specialized environment of vertical cliff faces composed of alluvial deposits of limestone gravel. An exceedingly slow-growing plant that’s usually grafted, it can take years to attain full size, and mature specimens sold on eBay cost hundreds of dollars.
- Graptoveria 'Topsy Debbi'
A fleshy succulent with a comedic name, it sports dusky, plump leaves covered in a powdery matte substance called farina. Acting as a natural sunscreen, farina sadly doesn’t usually grow back once disturbed, and even if it does, it’s not at the same level as it was prior. In containers, it benefits from a well-draining cactus mix with 50 – 70 % mineral grit (a mixture of perlite, pumice, or coarse sand).
