Join this post to learn about identifying succulent houseplants with their images and names. Succulents are common houseplants. Here I will provide a list of the common indoor succulents and a short overview of their appearance. I will also give you a chart (table) of their characteristics. You will also get familiar with one of the best free online tools to make succulent houseplant identification easy. Keep reading.
Identifying Succulent Houseplants with the Table of Characteristics
A table of characteristics is a helpful way to visualise the differences between common indoor succulents. In the following, I provide a table that works as a quick reference for succulent houseplant identification based on their leaf type, colour, shape, stem type, flower shape, and flower colour.
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Aloe Vera | Fleshy | Green-gray | Serrated | Short stem | Tubular | Yellow/orange |
| Echeveria | Fleshy | Varied (e.g., pink) | Rosette | Short/stemless | Bell-shaped | Various |
| Jade Plant | Fleshy | Deep green | Oval | Woody stem | Star-shaped | White/pink |
| Snake Plant | Fleshy | Dark green | Sword-like | Rhizomatous | Tubular | Greenish-white |
| Zebra Plant | Fleshy | Dark green | Rosette | Short/stemless | Tubular | Various |
| Christmas Cactus | Succulent stems | Greenish (segmented) | Jointed | Jointed stems | Pendulous | Various |
| Haworthia | Fleshy | Various (e.g., green) | Varied | Short/stemless | Tubular | Various |
| String of Pearls | Succulent stems | Green | Beads | Trailing | Daisy-like | White/cream |
| Burro’s Tail | Succulent leaves | Grey-green with spots | Tear-shaped | Trailing | Star-shaped | Pink/red |
| Panda Plant | Fleshy | Grey-green with spots | Fuzzy | Short/stemless | Bell-shaped | Orange/yellow |
| Crassula | Fleshy | Various (e.g., green) | Varied | Short/elongated | Star-shaped | Various |
| Ponytail Palm | Fleshy | Green | Arching | Bulbous base | Small & cream | Infrequent |
| Sempervivum | Fleshy | Varied (e.g., green/red) | Rosette | Stemless | Star-shaped | Various |
| Gasteria | Fleshy | Varied (e.g., mottled) | Varied | Short/stemless | Tubular | Various |
| Lithops | Fleshy | Varied (stone-like) | Varied | Short stem | Daisy-like | Yellow/white/pink |
Identifying Succulent Houseplants with the Chart
Among the various characteristics of common indoor succulents, I tried to create a chart for succulent houseplant identification based on their leaf shape and flowers.
Identifying Succulent Houseplants with Pictures
In this part, I provide you with images and names of indoor succulents. You can scroll through images and try to find the name of your intended succulent.
Aloe Vera
Scientific name: Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller)
Other common names: Medicine Plant, Burn Plant
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Aloe Vera | Fleshy | Green-gray | Serrated | Short stem | Tubular | Yellow/orange |
Echeveria
Scientific name: Echeveria spp.
Other common names: Hen and Chicks, Mexican Snowball
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Echeveria | Fleshy | Varied (e.g., pink) | Rosette | Short/stemless | Bell-shaped | Various |
Jade Plant
Scientific name: Crassula ovata
Other common names: Money Plant, Lucky Plant, Friendship Tree
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Jade Plant | Fleshy | Deep green | Oval | Woody stem | Star-shaped | White/pink |
Snake Plant
This plant is one of the air-purifying indoor plants.
Scientific name: (Dracaena trifasciata) Sansevieria trifasciata
Other common names: Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, Devil’s Tongue
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Snake Plant | Fleshy | Dark green | Sword-like | Rhizomatous | Tubular | Greenish-white |
Zebra Plant
Scientific name: Haworthia fasciata
Other common names: Zebra Cactus, Pearl Plant
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Zebra Plant | Fleshy | Dark green | Rosette | Short/stemless | Tubular | Various |
Christmas Cactus
This plant is one of the common flowering house plants.
Scientific name: Schlumbergera spp.
Other common names: Holiday Cactus, Thanksgiving Cactus, Crab Cactus
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Christmas Cactus | Succulent stems | Greenish (segmented) | Jointed | Jointed stems | Pendulous | Various |
String of Pearls
Scientific name: Senecio rowleyanus
Other common names: Bead Plant, String of Beads
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| String of Pearls | Succulent stems | Green | Beads | Trailing | Daisy-like | White/cream |
Burro’s Tail
Scientific name: Sedum morganianum
Other common names: Donkey Tail Plant, Lamb’s Tail
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Burro’s Tail | Succulent leaves | Gray-green with spots | Tear-shaped | Trailing | Star-shaped | Pink/red |
Panda Plant
Scientific name: Kalanchoe tomentosa
Other common names: Pussy Ears, Chocolate Soldier
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Panda Plant | Fleshy | Grey-green with spots | Fuzzy | Short/stemless | Bell-shaped | Orange/yellow |
Crassula
Scientific name: Crassula spp.
Other common names: Jade Plant (similar to Crassula ovata), Money Tree
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Crassula | Fleshy | Various (e.g., green) | Varied | Short/elongated | Star-shaped | Various |
Ponytail Palm
This is one of the safe plants for cats and dogs.
Scientific name: Beaucarnea recurvata
Other common names: Elephant’s Foot Tree, Bottle Palm
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Ponytail Palm | Fleshy | Green | Arching | Bulbous base | Small & cream | Infrequent |
Sempervivum
Scientific name: Sempervivum spp.
Other common names: Hen and Chicks (similar to Echeveria), Houseleek
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Sempervivum | Fleshy | Varied (e.g., green/red) | Rosette | Stemless | Star-shaped | Various |
Gasteria
Scientific name: Gasteria spp.
Other common names: Ox Tongue Plant, Lawyer’s Tongue
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Gasteria | Fleshy | Varied (e.g., mottled) | Varied | Short/stemless | Tubular | Various |
Lithops
Scientific name: Lithops spp.
Other common names: Living Stones, Stone Plants
| Succulent Plant | Leaf Type | Leaf Color | Leaf Shape | Stem Type | Flower Shape | Flower Color |
| Lithops | Fleshy | Varied (stone-like) | Varied | Short stem | Daisy-like | Yellow/white/pink |
Identifying Succulent Houseplants with an Online Tool
If you didn’t find your indoor succulent in the above list or are searching for an easier way, a free online tool that works with artificial intelligence and learning machines, with an almost comprehensive collection of plant species images. Working with this kind of Plant ID is very easy, and they can identify your intended plant quickly with high accuracy.
They can identify indoor and outdoor plants such as flowers, trees, ornamentals, and even wild plants. Some of them can also detect plant disease. So, you can use them for succulent houseplant identification.
Conclusion
In this article, I tried to help you with succulent houseplant identification in various ways, including images, charts, and a table of characteristics, and told you about the free online tools for identifying succulent houseplants.
Did you identify your indoor succulent? Which method is more interesting to you? why? Please share your ideas and experiences with us below this page.
Elahe Rabiei
Hi, I’m Elaheh. My Academic major is plant protection, and houseplants are my expertise. As a houseplant lover, my house is full of indoor plants and it is my passion to take care of them. Hence, I’m here to share my knowledge and experience about growing healthy houseplants. I am also a plant protection advisor, so feel free to ask me any questions you may have.