succulent

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succulent , any fleshy plant that belongs to one of many diverse families, among them species of cactus, aloe, stonecrop, houseleek, agave, and yucca. Most succulents are indigenous to arid or semiarid regions, and their succulence is simply an evolutionary adaptation to the extreme heat and dryness of the environment. Typically the plants have greatly reduced leaves with a hard and heavily cutinized outer surface which minimizes evaporation from the inner, juicy tissue that can retain and store water over long periods. Many are grown horticulturally for their interesting and often grotesque forms, e.g., the ice plant; a few have very attractive flowers.

Bibliography: See H. Jacobsen, A Handbook of Succulent Plants (3 vol., 1973).

succulent A plant that conserves water by storing it in fleshy leaves or stems. Succulents are found either in dry regions or in areas where there is sufficient water but it is not easily obtained, as in salt marshes. Such plants are often modified to reduce water loss by transpiration. For example, the leaves of cacti are reduced to spines. See also crassulacean acid metabolism; xerophyte.

suc·cu·lent / ˈsəkyələnt/ • adj. (of food) tender, juicy, and tasty. ∎  Bot. (of a plant, esp. a xerophyte) having thick fleshy leaves or stems adapted to storing water. • n. Bot. a succulent plant. DERIVATIVES: suc·cu·lence n. suc·cu·lent·ly adv.

succulent Plant that stores water in its tissues to resist periods of drought. Usually perennial and evergreen, they have bodies made up of water storage cells, which give them a fleshy appearance. A well-developed cuticle and low rate of daytime transpiration also conserve water. Succulent plants include cactus, lily, and stonecrop.

succulent juicy. XVII. — L. succulentus (sūcu-), f. succus (sūcus) juice; see -ULENT.

succulent Fleshy.

succulent Fleshy.

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