There are still lively debates to be had on exactly what constitutes a succulent plant. Whilst they may evoke thoughts of arid climates, succulents hail from locations as diverse as the South American rainforest and the Arctic tundra. There are however several key centres of succulent diversity led by southern Africa’s Succulent Karoo, as well as Madagascar, the Andean cordillera, the semi-deserts of Mexico and south-western United States, Brazil’s campo rupestre, the Irano-Turanian region of Central Asia, and of course, the Macaronesian islands.
Succulents are a functional grouping of over 12,000 species from more than 60 plant families. Common to all is the presence of large cells for water storage, which help them to survive periods of drought. As well as unpredictable access to water, these resilient plants often grow in areas where they are exposed to high levels of UV, extremes of temperature and strong winds. As a group, these juicy plants have evolved an array of adaptations to cope with these tough conditions and it is fascinating to see how these traits are mixed and matched by different species, depending on the specific environments in which they find themselves.