What is a succulent?
Plants (and animals) native to arid environments have evolved different adaptations to help them survive and thrive with less water. Some plants like the resurrection plant evolved the ability to tolerate extreme dehydration . Other plants like desert annuals evolved a fast life cycle: seeds germinate after the seasonal rains and the plants quickly grow, flower and set seed.Some plants, known as succulents, evolved the ability to store water in different plant tissues. They are the camels of the plant world. The particular plant tissue used to store water varies. For example some succulents store water in leaves, while others store water in stems, roots or a combination of the above. Quite often one plant organ comes to dominate the plant body at the expense of another organ. Take Cacti and Lithops for instance. Almost all cacti are completely leafless and the stem is the dominant organ (photosynthesis (the process by which plants use light energy to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into sugar) which in most plants takes place in leaves, takes place in the stems of cacti). Lithops are the opposite of cacti-the stem is greatly reduced and the leaves are the dominant organ. These extreme body plans are unique in the plant world and are one of the features that make succulents so endearing. Click here for another good descition of succulence.
