Succulents

[Marty333]

Here are what I think are succulents and I want to know if any of them are edible I just snapped quick pics so sorry if they are bad.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

 

[moswen]

#4 my sullies have nibbled on a few times, but it's not their favorite and i don't know it's name. and i think 1, 5, and 6 are the same plants.

 

[Marty333]

#4 my sullies have nibbled on a few times, but it's not their favorite and i don't know it's name. and i think 1, 5, and 6 are the same plants.

5 and 6 are the same plant I just took a close up and a far away shot.
1 seems more 3D then 5 and it hangs more so thats why I thought it might be different.

 

[yagyujubei]

5 and 6 I believe is euphorbia milli - poisonous
4 looks like a crassula
2 looks klike echiveria

 

[Edna]

Send me a start of #2? It's pretty! 5 and 6 look like a Christmas Cactus to me.

 

[DeanS]

When it comes down to it, the only three I use (and I use them a lot) are Opuntia, Aloe Vera and Agave (ssp Americana)...after that, it's a crap shoot and I don't wanna mess with it!

 

[Floof]

5 and 6 I believe is euphorbia milli - poisonous
4 looks like a crassula
2 looks klike echiveria

Isn't Euphorbia one of those with the milky sap? You could use that to try confirming the ID. Scratch the plant, and, if it excretes a milky white sap, you know it's toxic. If it doesn't... Well, it's slightly less likely to be one of the toxic succulents, lol.

Like Dean pointed out, the succulents can be pretty "iffy" when it comes to ID'ing, especially as safe or harmful. For example, while some Sedums are safe, there are a select few you have to avoid because they're VERY toxic.

 

[DeanS]

COMMENTARY ALERT!

First! Let me say that Marty's joy for Chevy is amazing...she's 15! She should have joy about every facet of her life...and show all the exhuberance of a 15 year old. I'll be 48 next month! And guess what?! I'm just as joyful about my sulcatas (especially Aladar). When I first got Mortimer in the Summer of 2009, I read everything! I already had a good base of knowledge...I'd worked with just about any animal you can think of...I knew the climate, the basic food items and the sheltering aspect of these fascinating animals! But I wanted to make sure I could provide every single food item listed in Africantortoise.com on Sulcatastation.com...you get the picture! So I searched high and low for everything...from seeds to cuttings to full-grown plants. It has taken me this long to realize that simple is best. I've got a front lawn and a back lawn...with 6 varieties of grass that are all on the tortoise menu, at least 4 varieties of weeds (tons of dandelion and clover), 3 different species of Roses, 2 species of hibiscus (including Rose of Sharon), Red Trumpet vine (previously thought to be toxic...but recently proven otherwise), 3 ssp of opuntia, 3 aloe vera plants and a mulberry tree...I don't need anything else and yet, here I am, a middle-aged man, still looking for more food items to supplement my reptilian babies. My point is...when is enough enough?!?!? Afterall, 85% of their diet is supposed to be grass 10% weeds and 5% flowers and leaves. Nobody included a per cent for Grassland or Mazuri. And, yet tomorrow, I'll be back on the prowl for something else to enrich my tortoises lives. Am I alone here?!?! Or does everyone feel the way I do?!?!? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Marta:


#1 is rhipsalis. It grows naturally in the forest similar to orchids, that is, in trees. Probably not edible, but I don't know.

#2 is kalanchoe - edible

#3 is another variety of mother-of-millions. Don't know if its toxic

#4 is called paddle plant, and is in the crassula family - edible

#5 and #6 is either Christmas or Easter cactus (depends upon what time of year it blooms) Zygocactus - edible

Your dad has a really nice collection of cactus and succulents. Wish I could come take the tour and see it all in person.

 

[Edna]

... And, yet tomorrow, I'll be back on the prowl for something else to enrich my tortoises lives. Am I alone here?!?! Or does everyone feel the way I do?!?!? Inquiring minds want to know!

emphasis mine


No, Dean, you're not alone. In the first place, seeking is inherent to humans, a basic need if you will. If we weren't seeking on behalf of our torts, we'd probably getting into some other kind of trouble. The seeking enriches our own lives as well as those of our torts. Additionally, our torts are captive and it's incumbent on us to try to keep them happy. My torts respond to anything new and different, so I switch things around just a little every week, just to enrich their lives.