Exploring These 8 Rare Succulents

You are thoroughly familiar with the fat-plant block. You know about the ghost plants, the Lithops, the jades, and a handful of different types of Echeveria.

You are surprised when people confuse a Euphorbia with a Cactus.

People call you the cactus connoisseur. Highly knowledgeable in Kalanchoe and Pachphytum. However, your thirst for exploring unique succulents is far from being quenched.

There exist rare succulents that are pretty different from your usual jade plant tucked away in the office corner. These succulents portray specific colors and particular anatomical adaptations, which makes it seem like they hail from a different planet.

These succulents are hard to care for and difficult to find commercially. That’s why they are rare succulents. Having a successful garden or nursery of rare succulents can be straining because either they’re hard to grow or don’t root easily. Or maybe they fail to produce seeds or even propagate because of the few offsets they produce.

Thanks to tissue culture, finding rare succulents is slowly becoming a reality. Let’s check out these 8 rare succulent Plants.

Othonna Capensis— “Ruby Necklace”

It is sometimes known as “Little Pickles” when it has not turned purple/red, and when having purple stems, it’s referred to as “Ruby Necklace.” It hails from Africa, particularly South Africa, and Africans call it “Bobbejaankool.” Othona is a fast-growing and trailing succulent herb that spreads a lot. Its leaves resemble cucumber prickles, cylindrical in shape and gray-green. The Othona succulent trails downwards after growing to about 2 inches (5 cm) in height.

The beans are green or purple, with the stems ranging from purple to bright red. Small, daisy-like flowers which are yellow and that grow on red stems can appear around the year.

The capensis plant requires very little care and can thrive in any soil as long there’s good drainage. Othona’s daisy like-flowers and fleshy leaves make them suitable in any desert garden or as houseplants or even specimens in greenhouses. Typical small planters like these may not be the best, though, be sure to do the correct research on what planters will be best for these rare succulents.

Like most succulents, these water-wise plants prefer deep watering occasionally. The soil should dry entirely between the watering. During the growing season, water the plants regularly and cease during the dormant period. If you’re unsure how or when you should water your succulents, check out our extensive article about that, it’s helped over 2000 succulent lovers.

The Othona plant will do well in complete sunsetting and half-shaded positions.

Pachyphytum Compactum— “Little Jewel”

This beautiful succulent is short-stemmed with a neatly set rosette almost at the crown. The plant is characterized by grey-white leaves embedded with bold white veins and purple tips.

The flowers are in the center of the plant and are pale yellow, while the other entire part is pinkish-orange.

Pachyphytum can tolerate intense sunlight and high heat but will die below -6°C as it does not tolerate frost. (Talk about being afraid of the cold).

This succulent doesn’t complain of poor soil conditions as long as the drainage is good and it loves full or partial sunlight.

We highly recommend this soil mix by Bonsai Jack. It is one of the best soil mixes on the market. It doesn’t need to be mixed with any other soil, it helps fight root rot, is perfectly pH Balanced & is pathogen-free (i.e., it won’t kill your plants). This soil is the go-to for our office plants. Go ahead and get the 7 Gallon Bag if you are a plant nerd like us.

Watering should be done carefully. Pachyphytum is more likely to die from over-watering than under-watering. Before you water the plant, let the soil dry out completely.

Get your Pachyphytum Compactums here from Etsy! 

Conophytum Subglobosum

Think these are Lithops? You’re forgiven. They do resemble them in so many ways, though! Conophytum is a stemless and slow-growing succulent with small flowers having spidery petals.

This particular succulent is perennial and forms huge mounds of pea-shaped heads. They require little water and a full sun or light shade.

They are also called “living pebbles.”

Ariocarpus Trigonus — “Living Rock”

It’s a geophytic cactus that is rosette-forming and rises slightly above ground level. It is rounded at the top with a globose stem and is yellowish-green. They produce beautiful yellowish-white flowers punctuated with reddish mid-ribs.

Ariocarpus trigonus is mainly a low-lying succulent that grows up to 10 inches tall and spreads up to 12 inches wide.

Ariocarpus need to be grown in the soil only specified for cacti. Using generic soil mixes will make it difficult for drainage and aeration. These succulents need plenty of suns. However, in dry and very hot regions, they can be killed by excessive sunlight. In such cases, a shade cloth would be of benefit or even moving the plants from the sun in the hottest hours during the day.

Your Ariocarpus will do just fine in low humidity and room temperature. Only water the Ariocarpus when it is scorched. It is paramount to wait for the soil to dry so you can water it again. Watering during winter is discouraged.

Get the awesome Ariocarpus Trigonus here. 

Tephrocactus articulates — “Paper Spine Cactus”

This is a bushy succulent segmented and slow-growing height of 30 cm. The segments can fall easily as they are loosely attached.

Embedded on the segments are flat papery spines that make the plant quite handsome.

Tephracactus has bell-shaped flowers that are white with a yellow center.

As with all cacti, Tephracactus requires little water, plenty of sun, and lots of light. These plants can be planted outside and left alone in hot and arid areas like the American Southwest. If you need to replant or repot any succulent, not just rare ones, read everything you need to know to repot your succulent plants.

Like this cactus? Get yours here.

Haworthia Truncata v. Maughanii

A very showy plant with a snow-flake like design at the apex. Its leaves resemble a fan with a warty surface and a transparent blunt end. Its rosettes are medium-sized and stemless, which are slow in proliferating.

Haworthia is easy to cultivate. However, it is slow-growing and may take a couple of years to produce attractive heads.

It prefers sandy-gritty soil, and since it can quickly get root rot, it needs good drainage. During the dry season, watering should be done regularly.

Keep the plant shaded during summer and get locations with diffuse light.

See Haworthia Truncata v. Maughanii on Etsy >> 

Adromischus Maculatus — “Calico Hearts”

Native to South Africa, this little gem is also known as “Chocolate drops.” It’s a unique succulent with oval-like, wedge-shaped leaves punctuated with chocolate color marks giving it a marbled appearance. It has a very short and partly woody stem with fibrous roots.

Adromischus has tubular flowers that are pale yellowish-green in color. It doesn’t mind excellent and frost-free conditions if kept away from water during winter.

It grows pretty slowly and thrives in soils with good drainage.

This succulent is often out of stock – Try your luck and get it here!

Echeveria x Imbricata

It’s one of the most sought-after, beautiful, and versatile rosette-forming succulents. Its rosettes are 15-20 cm wide, while the plant is typically slow. It is a very stable and robust hybrid, making it easy to grow. Its leaves are blue-green, and it freely produces offsets.

This hybrid succulent results from a cross done in the early 1870s between Echeveria gibbiflora and Echeveria glauca.

It does well in well-drained sandy soils, in partial shade, or in the sun.

ALSO READ:

• Super Cute Bunny Succulents For Your Garden
• Flapjack Paddle Plant – Kalanchoe Thyrsiflora
• 5 Safest Fertilizers For Succulents/Organic Fertilizes Reviews
• 7 Beginner Tips For Growing Succulents & Everything You Need To Know

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Final Words

There they are! 8 awesome rare succulents worth exploring when you feel like you need more succulents in your garden. These are the pretty rare ones to catch. Be sure to read how you can propagate these rare succulents correctly too. You don’t want to have a rare succulent die on you. That’d be terrible!

Maybe check out where to buy succulents to help you find these rare succulent Plants.

Enjoyed learning about 8 Rare Succulents Worth Exploring? If so, you’ll enjoy the ebook about Rare Succulents You Wish You Knew About. With this ebook, you’ll find more detailed answers to help your succulent grow even better! With thousands of succulent lovers enjoying our ebooks, you don’t want to miss out on what works best to grow your succulents.