Desert cacti are the most easily recognizable features of dry arid landscapes, especially in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California. Succulent plants that thrive in the desert must withstand periods of drought, hot sun, and nutrient-deficient soil. In addition, desert cacti that thrive in the southwestern United States must endure freezing temperatures during the night.

Are you searching for the perfect type of succulent for your garden or indoor space but feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of choices? In this comprehensive article, we present our top favorite succulent varieties, complete with pictures and names, to assist you in making an informed decision.

The orchid cactus is a beautiful succulent plant with broad, flattened leaf-like stems and huge, showy flowers. Orchid cactus flowers are the reason most people keep these flowering cacti as houseplants. The large cup-shaped or funnel-shaped flowers bloom in shades of white, orange, yellow, pink, and red. An unusual feature of some orchid cactus plants is that they only bloom once a year during the night.

The orchid cactus is a type of hanging cactus plant with trailing succulent stems and spectacular colorful cup-shaped flowers in beautiful shades of white, pink, orange, or red. Orchid cacti have long, flat leaf-like stems with serrated or scalloped margins, and the stems growing up to 24” (60 cm) long and 2” (5 cm) wide. The attractive feature of the orchid cactus plant is the masses of showy flowers blooming at the end of cascading stems.

Queen of the night is a flowering cactus with sprawling waxy stems that can grow up to 20 ft. (6 m) long and produces stunning large white showy flowers one night in the year. So, although queen of the night cactus produces flowers, it rarely blooms. When the orchid cactus produces flowers, they only emerge at night and wilt before the morning. The night-blooming characteristic and its stunning flowers make this plant popular for tropical gardens or as a houseplant.

Sansevieria moonshine is an eye-catching snake plant with pale, silvery-green, spear-shaped leaves. Also called the moonshine snake plant, its broad, pointed succulent leaves have an attractive dark green margin. This easy-care houseplant is ideal for beginners or plant experts alike. You can grow the stunning moonshine plant in most conditions and it survives in low-light with little water. In addition, its short upright sword-like leaves don’t take up much room.

Lithops is a succulent that is also called living stone plant and is easy to grow indoors. The plant’s common name—living stone—comes from the fact that the succulent looks like a small rock, pebble, or stone. The unusual feature of lithops plants is their two fleshy succulent leaves in a kidney bean shape. The fissure between the two plump lithops leaves splits, and then a flower or a pair of new leaves emerge.

The paddle plant is a pretty, flowering succulent with flat, broad, spoon-shaped jade green leaves with a tinge of red blushing. The large spatulate leaves are the attractive feature of this low-maintenance succulent. Also called the ‘flapjack’ succulent, the paddle plant is easy to look after—all it needs is plenty of light and dry, sandy soil.

Hanging succulents have long trailing vines that look spectacular in hanging baskets. The best succulents for hanging baskets have dangling stems with fleshy leaves, and some may even flower. Trailing succulents generally grow best in partial shade and don’t require much maintenance. You can also grow hanging succulents indoors or outdoors, depending on the climate.

Aeonium arboreum (also called tree Aeonium) is an evergreen succulent plant with thick woody stems, large rosettes, and showy yellow flowers. The species Aeonium arboreum is also called Irish rose, housetree leek, desert pinwheel rose, or tree houseleek. These large subtropical shrubs thrive outdoors in warm, sunny gardens or as indoor houseplants growing in pots.