{"id":7081,"date":"2025-07-01T14:36:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T06:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/?p=7081"},"modified":"2026-04-17T16:11:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:11:04","slug":"the-weirdest-succulent-names-explained-and-why-theyre-so-strange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/the-weirdest-succulent-names-explained-and-why-theyre-so-strange\/","title":{"rendered":"The Weirdest Succulent Names Explained (And Why They’re So Strange)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let’s be real\u2014some \u0441\u0443\u043a\u043a\u0443\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0442<\/a> names sound like they were made up by a drunk botanist. “String of Dolphins”? “Burro’s Tail”? “Mother of Thousands”? What kind of plant names are these? If you’ve ever stared at a succulent label and gone, “Wait… what?”, this one’s for you. We’re breaking down the weirdest, funniest, and most bizarre succulent names and the stories behind them. Buckle up, because some of these are wild.<\/p>\n

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1. String of Dolphins (Senecio peregrinus)
\nWhy It\u2019s Weird: Because it literally looks like a bunch of tiny dolphins jumping out of the pot.<\/p>\n

The Story: This funky hybrid is a cross between String of Pearls and Candle Plant. The leaves curl into little dolphin-shaped silhouettes, complete with what looks like fins. It\u2019s the kind of plant that makes people do a double-take\u2014”Wait, are those\u2026 dolphins?”<\/p>\n

Care Tip: Bright, indirect light. Too much sun = crispy dolphins. Too little = stretched-out, sad dolphins.<\/p>\n

2. Burro\u2019s Tail (Sedum morganianum)
\nWhy It\u2019s Weird: Because who looked at this plant and thought, “Yep, that\u2019s a donkey\u2019s tail”?<\/p>\n

The Story: The name comes from the long, trailing stems covered in plump, blue-green leaves that kinda-sorta resemble a donkey\u2019s tail (if you squint). In Spanish, “burro” means donkey, so there you go.<\/p>\n

Fun Fact: This succulent is super fragile. Bump it the wrong way, and leaves go flying everywhere. (But hey, free propagation!)<\/p>\n

3. Mother of Thousands (Kalanchoe daigremontiana)
\nWhy It\u2019s Weird: Sounds like a horror movie villain, and honestly? It kinda is.<\/p>\n

The Story: This plant is insanely prolific. Tiny baby plants grow along the edges of its leaves, drop off, and root everywhere. It\u2019s like a succulent zombie apocalypse\u2014once it\u2019s in your garden, it\u2019s almost impossible to stop.<\/p>\n

Warning: Do not plant this outside unless you want it to take over. Seriously.<\/p>\n

4. Lithops (Aka “Living Stones”)
\nWhy It\u2019s Weird: Because they look like tiny butts. Or brains. Or alien eggs.<\/p>\n

The Story: The name Lithops comes from Greek (lithos = stone, ops = face), because these succulents mimic rocks to avoid being eaten in the wild. They\u2019re masters of disguise\u2014sometimes you won\u2019t even notice them until they bloom.<\/p>\n

Weird Fact: They only need water a few times a year. Overwater them, and they\u2019ll literally explode.<\/p>\n

5. Zwartkop (Aeonium arboreum \u2018Zwartkop\u2019)
\nWhy It\u2019s Weird: Because it sounds like a villain from a fantasy novel, but it\u2019s just a really goth succulent.<\/p>\n

The Story: Zwartkop means “black head” in Dutch, and this aeonium lives up to its name with deep purple, almost black rosettes. It\u2019s like the emo kid of the succulent world\u2014dramatic, dark, and kinda extra.<\/p>\n

Care Tip: Needs full sun to stay dark. In shade, it\u2019ll turn green and lose its goth cred.<\/p>\n

6. Bunny Ears Cactus (Opuntia microdasys)
\nWhy It\u2019s Weird: Because it\u2019s cute\u2026 until you touch it and regret everything.<\/p>\n

The Story: The pads look like fuzzy bunny ears, but those white dots? They\u2019re glochids\u2014tiny, barbed spines that stick in your skin like demonic glitter.<\/p>\n

Pro Tip: If you get glochids in your fingers, duct tape is your best friend.<\/p>\n

7. Pickle Plant (Delosperma echinatum)
\nWhy It\u2019s Weird: Because it looks like a cucumber decided to grow spikes.<\/p>\n

The Story: The stems are covered in little, pickle-shaped leaves with soft spines. It\u2019s weirdly cute, kinda weird, and definitely a conversation starter.<\/p>\n

Bonus: It blooms with tiny yellow flowers, because why not?<\/p>\n

8. Tiger\u2019s Jaw (Faucaria tigrina)
\nWhy It\u2019s Weird: Because the leaves look like tiny, toothy mouths waiting to chomp you.<\/p>\n

The Story: The name comes from the jagged, tooth-like edges on its leaves. In the wild, these “teeth” help collect moisture from fog.<\/p>\n

Fun Fact: It blooms with bright yellow flowers, because even a plant named Tiger\u2019s Jaw can be pretty.<\/p>\n

9. Cobweb Houseleek (Sempervivum arachnoideum)
\nWhy It\u2019s Weird: Because it looks like a spider threw a party on a succulent.<\/p>\n

The Story: The rosettes are covered in fine, white hairs that resemble cobwebs. It\u2019s creepy, cool, and surprisingly hardy.<\/p>\n

Care Tip: Great for cold climates\u2014it can survive snow!<\/p>\n

10. Baseball Plant (Euphorbia obesa)
\nWhy It\u2019s Weird: Because it looks like a sports ball\u2026 but also kinda like something NSFW.<\/p>\n

The Story: This round, ribbed succulent really does resemble a baseball\u2014until it grows taller and starts looking\u2026 suggestive.<\/p>\n

Warning: Like all euphorbias, its sap is toxic. Don\u2019t get it on your skin!<\/p>\n

Why Do Succulents Have Such Weird Names?
\nMost of the time, it\u2019s because:
\nThey look like something else (dolphins, donkeys, cobwebs).
\nThey do something creepy (make a thousand babies, mimic rocks).
\nBotanists had a sense of humor (looking at you, Tiger\u2019s Jaw).<\/p>\n

\u041f\u043e\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0434\u043d\u044f\u044f \u043c\u044b\u0441\u043b\u044c
\nSucculent names are weird, wonderful, and sometimes downright hilarious. Whether you\u2019re growing a String of Dolphins or a Mother of Thousands, one thing\u2019s for sure\u2014these plants are anything but boring.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the weirdest succulent in your collection? SucculentNameGame \ud83c\udf35\ud83d\ude02<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let’s be real\u2014some succulent names sound like they were made up by a drunk botanist. “String of Dolphins”? “Burro’s Tail”?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-succulent-care"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7081"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19763,"href":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7081\/revisions\/19763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cngarden.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}