Among the plants usually referred to as 'The Other Succulents,' are Euphorbias, a large, diverse group from the family Euphorbiaceae. Euphorbias are sometimes mistaken for Cacti, and striking similarities do exist amongst the two groups. Cacti, however, are 'New World' succulents, whereas Euphorbias are found primarily in Africa. Large numbers of succulents are also found in the Mesembryanthemaceae (commonly 'mesemb'), Crassulaceae, and Ascelepiadaceae ('stapeliad') families.* All told, there are approximately 10,000 separate species of plants that fall into the succulent category.
Of these 10,000 or so, an impressive number are available for cultivation. "Garden variety" Cacti can be found even in discount stores, and there are many specialist nurseries all over the world, which offer some of the lesser-known (and even more fascinating) species. Some of these plants can be quite a challenge to grow successfully, but all are singularly rewarding.
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* Please note: I am an artist with an obsessive-compulsive plant disorder, not The World's Leading Authority on Botany. With that in mind, I will say that I have found it helpful to translate (i.e., oversimplify) some of these intimidating Latin terms. In my mind, for example, Euphorbia=African Cactus, Cucurbit=Pumpkin, Mesembryanthemaceae=Parrot Plant {mesembs often mimic other things-like the Lithops which look like rocks), Stapeliad=Stinky Plant (beautiful flowers that smell like rotting meat. Really.) For those readers who are not Botanically-Challenged, I realise that these are very loose interpretations. For those of you who, like me, have to work harder at understanding complicated scientific data, simplifying associations may be useful.
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