The desert plants They adapt especially well to the hottest areas of Spain and there are many very beautiful ones, which hardly need care and which brighten up any house or garden.
Below we have compiled 15 plants that can live in desert areas and with climatic conditions that are adverse for the majority: a lot of heat and little water. Many are easy-care cacti and hardy succulents, but there are also pretty flowering herbaceous plants and shrubs.
1. Agave
He agave (American agave) It is an impressive succulent plant with large grayish leaves ideal for terraces or gardens in dry climates. Is native to Mexico and the southern United Statesespecially Texas.
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Its leaves, which can be bluish green, grayish green or with yellow stripeshave sharp spines on the edges, as well as a larger one at the tip.
Blooms only once in its lifeusually after 7 years, which makes flowering a very special event. It produces a tall floral stem (8 or 9 meters) with yellow flowers before dying, although the shoots at its base will survive it.
2. Aloe vera
He aloe vera (Aloe vera) It is a succulent plant native to the southeast of the Arabian Peninsulaalthough today it is grown in many areas of the world with arid, temperate and tropical climates.
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It is characterized by its thick and fleshy leaves, green in color, inside of which there is a transparent gel used for medicinal and cosmetic purposesparticularly to treat skin problems such as burns or wounds, or to moisturize the skin.
3. Arizona poppy
Also known as California poppyEschscholzia californica), It is a herbaceous plant native to the western United States, mainly California (where it is the state flower). Is drought tolerant. It thrives in full sun and sandy soil and has a long flowering period.
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It can measure between 15 and 60 cm in height, has bluish-green leaves and produces cup-shaped flowers with four petals, usually orange (although they can sometimes be yellow), which They open when it’s sunny and close at night and on cloudy days.
4. Jade tree
He jade tree (Crassula ovata) It is a succulent shrub native to South Africa. Its thick, woody stems mature into a miniature tree, about 2.5 to 3 meters tall when grown outdoors and smaller indoors.
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Has fleshy, green, oval leaveswho acquire a reddish color on the edges when exposed to intense light. It produces small star-shaped white or pale pink flowers during the winter (although indoors it is unlikely to flower).
5. Barrel Cactus
Also known as water biznaga (Ferocactus wislizenii)it is a barrel-shaped cactus with pronounced ribs and spectacular hooked spines which can be yellow, red or brown. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
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They can reach up to 3 meters high and 90 centimeters in diameter, and produce yellow, orange or red flowers that appear from late spring to early fall. It likes full sun and tolerates drought, but is sensitive to frost.
6. Donkey Tail
The donkey tailSedum morganianum) It is a creeping succulent native to southern Mexico. Its long stems (which can measure 60 cm or even more) cascade if left, making it one of those succulents ideal for hanging pots.
iStock Photo.Iryna Imago
The stems are covered with small fleshy green leaves that store waterwhich makes the plant drought tolerant.
In summer, it can produce small pink to reddish purple flowers at the ends of its stems, although flowering is rare when grown indoors.
7. Crown of Christ
Also called Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii), is a shrub native to Madagascar and one of the most beautiful succulents with flower.
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It can measure about 2 meters in height, with woody and thorny stems which, in their natural habitat, help the plant to attach itself to the vegetation around it. It grows green, fleshy leaves and produces small flowers surrounded by colorful petal-shaped bracts in red, pink or white. It blooms mainly from spring to summer.
8. Desert Spoon
Also known as spoon flower or sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri), is a succulent with long tapering and pointed greenish-blue leaves. native to the Sonoran desert and the nearby arid regions of southern Arizona, northern Mexico, New Mexico, and Texas.
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In late spring and summer, it produces flower stems that can reach 5 meters with cream-colored flowers that attract hummingbirds. It thrives in well-drained soil, tolerates drought and requires direct sun exposure.
9. Spanish dagger
The Spanish dagger (Yucca glorious) It is a shrub with impressive pointed leaves native to the southeastern United States.
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It can measure up to 2.5 meters in height and develops woody stems with dense rosettes of long, rigid, sword-shaped green leaves between 30 and 50 cm long. Its striking inflorescences grow up to 3 meters, with fragrant white bell-shaped flowers.
10. Echeveria
The echeverias are a very numerous genus of succulents native to the semi-desert areas of Central America, Mexico and northwestern South America.
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They are characterized by their compact, symmetrical rosettes of fleshy green leaves (sometimes with pink, grayish, bluish, reddish or purple tints). Their edges may turn reddish when exposed to strong sunlight. They produce pretty flowers of different colors on long stems.
11. Juniper
He juniper (Juniperus communis) It is a shrub native to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere widely used in phytotherapy as a natural remedy for various diseases.
It grows naturally in well-drained soils, often rocky or sandy and thrives in full sun. It tolerates both drought and cold quite well and requires little maintenance.
12. Haworthia
The haworthia (Haworthia fasciata) It is a small succulent ideal for growing in interiors with indirect light. Native to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, it grows as a compact rosette less than 10 cm high, with green triangular leaves with white stripes.
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In summer, it produces slender flower stems up to 30 cm long with small white flowers. It requires infrequent watering and the soil must be allowed to dry completely between waterings to prevent the roots from rotting.
13. Prickly pear
He prickly pear or prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) It is a large cactus, with flattened paddle-shaped stems and edible fruits (prickly pears). Originally from central Mexico, it grows throughout the temperate zones of the Iberian Peninsula, especially on the Mediterranean coast, Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.
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From late spring, it produces beautiful solitary yellow flowers. Its care is simple: it requires sandy soil with good drainage and moderate watering, allowing the soil to dry completely between watering.
14. Teddy bear
He teddy bear (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) It is a cactus native to the Sonoran and Mojave deserts from northwestern Mexico and southwestern United States.
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It grows as a shrub or small tree, about 1 to 1.5 meters high, with a woody central trunk and short branches. covered with silver or gold thornswhich give it a deceptively hairy appearance.
needs to be in full sun, with well-drained soils and minimal irrigation. It is extremely drought tolerant, but very sensitive to frost and excess humidity.
15. Dew
Known as dew or frost (Aptenia cordifolia) It is a creeping succulent plant native to the coastal areas of South Africa.
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It grows at ground level from a woody base and forms bushes that can reach between 7 and 10 cm in height. Its green, fleshy, heart-shaped leaves create a dense carpet dotted with small deep pink or purple flowerssimilar to daisies, which bloom in spring and summer.
It is very tolerant of heat, drought and salinity, making it ideal for coastal gardens.
Easy to care for and resistant
Not all of the plants that we have presented to you are cacti and succulents, although the vast majority are. By accumulating water in the leaves, these plants last longer in good condition without receiving water from irrigation or rain, which makes them easier to care for.
That they are resistant and almost take care of themselves does not mean that you should not give them minimal care, but they certainly make your life easier if you have little time to dedicate to plants, you live in a place with very hot summers or, simply, you like the exotic air, of desert lands, that they give to your house.
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