Glossary of Succulent Terms

In gardening, top dressing is any material spread atop the soil. For succulents, top dressing is a layer of inorganic material like pebbles, seashells, gravel or sand that covers the soil. Top dressing offers a number of benefits for succulents.

Transpiration is the process of water movement through a plant. Water is taken up through the roots, travels to all the cells of the plant, and is released to the environment through the leaves. Plants lose more than 90% of their water through transpiration.

A tubercle is a naturally-occurring small bump, outgrowth or protuberance. The bright white bumps on Haworthia fasciata are tubercles.

Turgid means something is swollen or filled with water or turgor. In succulents, turgid leaves are well hydrated and firm due to the water pressure. The opposite of turgid leaves are limp and flaccid with too little internal water pressure.

Turgor is the water pressure within a plant against the cell walls. A plant full of turgor is said to be turgid or rigid with internal water pressure. As succulents make use of their stored moisture, the turgor decreases, and the leaves become limp or flaccid.