Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Use this forum to get advice on growing succulents and keeping them healthy
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rysucc
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Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:22 am
Location: Indonesia

Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Post by rysucc »

Hello, I'm new to this forum section. Usually I use this forum to ask some ID.
But now, as the topic suggests, I'm trying to figure out what Family is the best for me to collect and take care, perhaps, easily, or highly suitable for the tropics.

I do have some cacti (Cactaceae), echeveria sedum kalanchoe (Crassulaceae), and aloes (Asphodelaceae). But I really don't know which of them are native, not just native to Indonesia, but native to tropics. I want to focus on tropics Angiosperms too, but it's too much for now (lol, everything is too much, I know), so that's why I want to limit the scope to just the family that has many, or most, succulents!

Angiosperms, too much... all family of tropics, still too much... tropics angiosperms, too much... angiosperms with family that is mostly succulent in tropics, that's a go!
Maybe, it's going to be Orchidaceae, it's really common in Indonesia, we call them anggrek too.

I have no special reason for this btw, I just want to work on this hobby and some lesson to learn. (It's a pretty big goal, but I'm 23 8) )

(actually, I do have special reason, I wanna turn everything into a giant plant :lol: )

So, whaddya think? Is it possible to figure out? Most importantly, is it going to be fun?!
I think I want to specified it a bit, I want a family that can grow wild and big. Most cacti grow big, but it doesn't have to be cacti. I feel great when I'm looking at my half a meter snakeplant, or my 9 years-old cereus... they just, look so cool to me ^^
I think Adenium could be a go, they can go big, like 3 meters, even though people want it to be small/bonsai, I want it to be big! Euphorbia and aloeae are interesting and pantropical too, but I don't know how big can they grow... hmmm... :-k
Need to specify it again, the closer to Indonesia the better ^^

SO here's the list:
1) Native to tropics
2) Succulence
3) Can grow very big
4) Part of a big Family/Familia (kinda optional, small family is still fine :) )
5) The closer to Indonesia the better :) (highly optional)
Last edited by rysucc on Tue Sep 15, 2020 3:46 am, edited 3 times in total.
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anttisepp
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Re: Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Post by anttisepp »

Plumeria, Adenium, Pachypodium etc
Aloe, Haworthia, Gasteria, Sansevieria etc
Stapelia, Lithos, Huernia, Hoodia etc
Euphorbia... -
are very suitable for tropics IMHO.
As for cacti, seach within brazilians - Melo, Disco, Piloso, Arrojado, etc as forest cerei and Rhipsalis & Co
IMHO
rysucc
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Location: Indonesia

Re: Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Post by rysucc »

Whoa, thank you so much for your suggestions. Those are all interesting succulent family for me.
Now it gets confusing, lol. All I gotta do now is to pick one of those. Hmm...
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One Windowsill
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Re: Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Post by One Windowsill »

I think the stapeliads are very popular in tropical parts. Not the South African ones but the tropical ones like Frerea, Edithcolea, Rhytidocaulon, "Caralluma" and some Ceropegias as well. If you broadened it to the whole asclepiad group you would have an incredible range from which to chose.
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hiawog
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Re: Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Post by hiawog »

Here is one small recommendation for starting out: try a variety of different kinds of plants, go slowly, and see what you enjoy most and have success with. In addition to cacti, I experiment with bonsai, orchids, peppers, carnivorous plants, tropicals, irises, and more. They need such different things, but it's fun to have variety and seasonal differences. Over time I've personally started to focus more on cacti, but you might end up preferring something else! To me that feels more natural to me than picking one thing and diving in, but that's just one person's opinion :)
rysucc
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Location: Indonesia

Re: Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Post by rysucc »

One Windowsill wrote: Mon Sep 14, 2020 5:14 pm I think the stapeliads are very popular in tropical parts. Not the South African ones but the tropical ones like Frerea, Edithcolea, Rhytidocaulon, "Caralluma" and some Ceropegias as well. If you broadened it to the whole asclepiad group you would have an incredible range from which to chose.
Thank you!
Hmm... I've wiki your suggestions... I like the wild visual of them, but most of them are small :-k
I want group of plants that are mostly giants! lol
hiawog wrote: Mon Sep 14, 2020 5:55 pm Here is one small recommendation for starting out: try a variety of different kinds of plants, go slowly, and see what you enjoy most and have success with. In addition to cacti, I experiment with bonsai, orchids, peppers, carnivorous plants, tropicals, irises, and more. They need such different things, but it's fun to have variety and seasonal differences. Over time I've personally started to focus more on cacti, but you might end up preferring something else! To me that feels more natural to me than picking one thing and diving in, but that's just one person's opinion :)
Yeah, so far, I've been taking care of cacti (cereus, echinopsis, dragonfruit, rattail), crassulaceae (echeveria, lenophyllum, sedum), kalanchoe (fedtschenkoi, blossfeldiana), euphorbia lactea, asparagales (aloe vera, dracaena, etc), one orchid, some spiderplants, and so on~

Recently, it felt kinda boring to take care of random plants. I know it's not that many, yet, but I want to specify my plants for the future of my garden. I don't want to do random stuff.

I think I want to specified it a bit, I want a family that can grow wild and big. Most cacti grow big, but it doesn't have to be cacti. I feel great when I'm looking at my half a meter snakeplant, or my 9 years-old cereus... they just, look so cool to me ^^
I think Adenium could be a go, they can go big, like 3 meters, even though people want it to be small/bonsai, I want it to be big! Euphorbia and aloeae are interesting and pantropical too, but I don't know how big can they grow... hmmm... :-k

I'm still open to suggestions btw, it keeps me learning more stuff :)
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hiawog
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Re: Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Post by hiawog »

rysucc wrote: Mon Sep 14, 2020 11:09 pm Recently, it felt kinda boring to take care of random plants. I know it's not that many, yet, but I want to specify my plants for the future of my garden. I don't want to do random stuff.

I think I want to specified it a bit, I want a family that can grow wild and big. Most cacti grow big, but it doesn't have to be cacti. I feel great when I'm looking at my half a meter snakeplant, or my 9 years-old cereus... they just, look so cool to me ^^
I think Adenium could be a go, they can go big, like 3 meters, even though people want it to be small/bonsai, I want it to be big!
That makes perfect sense about not doing random stuff. I love huge adeniums too; my dad has one that's almost 30 years old and is starting to turn into a real winner. Maybe look at other caudiciforms? Pachypodium can be humongous. When I think about BIG plants for the tropics the first things that comes to mind are aroids, but you you said succulents....some agave can get pretty massive, and lots of those can handle tropical weather. A number of optunia effectively grow into trees, too. Sorry I don't have better ideas; I'm sure others will be able to make some excellent suggestions. Good luck with the garden!
rysucc
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Re: Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Post by rysucc »

hiawog wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:58 am That makes perfect sense about not doing random stuff. I love huge adeniums too; my dad has one that's almost 30 years old and is starting to turn into a real winner. Maybe look at other caudiciforms? Pachypodium can be humongous. When I think about BIG plants for the tropics the first things that comes to mind are aroids, but you you said succulents....some agave can get pretty massive, and lots of those can handle tropical weather. A number of optunia effectively grow into trees, too. Sorry I don't have better ideas; I'm sure others will be able to make some excellent suggestions. Good luck with the garden!
Ikr.
30 years?! That's insane, I love old plants! Hmm adenium is definitely a consideration for now. Pachypodium is interesting, but still too rare and expensive in my country, I'll consider it, it looks wild, I like it. Opuntia is easy to find here, and less expensive, but they (sellers) haven't got that many varieties, yet, need to import for more varieties... hmm... :-k :-k :-k
Thanks again, those are nice suggestions
___

Need to specify it again, the closer to Indonesia the better ^^ but this one is highly optional.

SO here's the list:
1) Native to tropics
2) Succulence
3) Can grow very big
4) Part of a big Family/Familia (kinda optional, small family is still fine :) )
5) The closer to Indonesia the better :) (highly optional)
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greenknight
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Re: Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Post by greenknight »

Check out Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis, a tree-like cactus that gets up to 20m tall, if you want big. Produces edible fruits, too.
Spence :mrgreen:
rysucc
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Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:22 am
Location: Indonesia

Re: Which (succulent) Family is the best for someone who lives in tropics (Indonesia)?

Post by rysucc »

greenknight wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 6:27 am Check out Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis, a tree-like cactus that gets up to 20m tall, if you want big. Produces edible fruits, too.
Interesting :-k
but I can't find it in Indonesia... I've found Baobab tree tho, lol
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