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Like protea, succulents are one of those categories of plants whose variety of shapes, colors, and textures boggle the mind. Here are five strange succulents every plant lover should know.
Editor-in-Chief Molly Beauchemin spotted this decorative succulent, known as Variegated Necklace Vine, while on the road in South Africa– the part of the world to which the succulent is native. Sometimes known as “String of Buttons”, Variegated Necklace Vine has a threaded appearance, stacked appearance. In Spring, the plant blooms with soft yellow flowers.
As a species, Hawthoria cooperi looks like a strange, edible jelly delicacy, with its translucent, fleshy leaves. Hawthoria cooperi ‘Cooperi’ (pictured here) is the most standard, common variety, but there are plenty of other interesting specimens, like Haworthia cooperi ‘Truncata’, which has almost completely translucent leaves– save for its tiny, sinuous red veins.
No, this isn’t a hoax– this really is a succulent that grows like a rose. Like a rose, Greenovia dodrentalis grows with curved leaves that circle around tightly on one another like petals. They are rare, growing to about six inches tall, and as they age, the older petals at the bottom will sometimes take on a pinkish tone.
Known colloquially as “Buddha’s Temple”, this hybrid succulent grows with a dizzying symmetry, which makes it look like some strange stacked building or early Microsoft computer glitch (you know, like when you would drag the window around and it would create an accordion of frames). At its peak, the plant will grow round orange or white flowers, which contrast its strict geometric appearance.
The slender spires of Hoodia gordonii aren’t all that uncommon among cacti– it’s the oddly floppy, dusty pink flowers that put this particular specimen on our list. With a shape almost like a morning glory, Hoodia gordonii looks a little bit like a piece of bologna crossed with an ear. Unflattering comparisons aside, Hoodia gordonii does have an alien beauty about it, and is used in medicine as an appetite suppressant.