What are the names of these plants?
August 5, 2012 10:44 AM   Subscribe

Identify this plant.

A friend recently moved away and gifted me these plants. He didn't know what the names were.

I want to look up the plants to figure out how much water and sun they need. Help me figure out what they are.

Image of Plants

Thank you.
posted by Wanderlust88 to Home & Garden (9 answers total)
 
Succulant and cactus (the one with the spines.)
posted by Ideefixe at 10:48 AM on August 5, 2012


The rule of thumb for succulents and cactus like this, as passed along by my mother, was to keep them in window that got lots of sun, and water them whenever it rains in Phoenix. Worked for her, her plants were wonderful.
posted by HuronBob at 10:50 AM on August 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


The star-shaped one on the left looks like a Hen and Chicks. The cactus on the right looks reminiscent of one my daughter has called a Redheaded Irishman.
posted by jquinby at 11:01 AM on August 5, 2012


The one on the left looks like a type of aeonium or echeveria and the other is a flowering cactus. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti so reading up on the care of succulents is what I recommend. These plants are hearty and over watering will kill them. They thrive on abuse. :)
posted by i_wear_boots at 11:06 AM on August 5, 2012


The succulent on the left also responds very well to transplanting. Just something to keep in mind.
posted by fieldcannotbeblank at 11:10 AM on August 5, 2012


Response by poster: The succulent on the left also responds very well to transplanting. Just something to keep in mind.
posted by fieldcannotbeblank at 1:10 PM on August 5 [mark as best answer] [+] [!]


Transplanting? Do you mean I should move it to its own pot?
posted by Wanderlust88 at 11:22 AM on August 5, 2012


Transplanting? Do you mean I should move it to its own pot?

He means you could throw them off a cliff and they would thrive. These plants take effort to kill.

You can take succulent cuttings of almost any larger plant and they will thrive.
posted by JimmyJames at 11:43 AM on August 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


I agree with i_wear_boots, the left one is probably an echeveria or aeonium, the cactus on the right is probably some sort of ferocactus.
posted by jaut at 7:38 PM on August 5, 2012


FYI chances are good judging from that photo that the flower on your cactus is in fact a strawflower glued to the cactus by the store. Strawflowers react to water, so people think they're real and they are in that they were a real flower from a different plant but they are not a part of your cactus. To tell, see if there's any glue at the base of it. Or, if it lasts longer than a week, it's not real. If you like it, keep it on, but I always pick them off.
posted by vegartanipla at 9:19 AM on August 6, 2012


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