If you've walked into a trendy store lately, chances are that you have seen succulents everywhere.
Succulent houseplants, known for their plump leaves and low-maintenance care, are a major trend these days.
The word succulent is described as meaning, "full of juice" by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Like the dictionary definition, they are, "any plant with fleshy, thick tissues adapted to water storage," according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
These plants have become very popular for a number of reasons. They are easy to incorporate into cute crafts, can be turned into living jewelry, and perhaps best of all, are notoriously difficult to kill thanks to their inbuilt water storage mechanisms.
Most of them evolved in desert habitats, where they had to learn to conserve water to survive. That makes them a great houseplant option for busy folks who forget to water their plants.
Best of all, they come in a whole range of beautiful shapes and sizes, from the run-of-the-mill cactus to more exotic pebbled shapes.
In fact, one plant is garnering a whole lot of attention at the moment, because it's beautiful leaves look just like dolphins.
Scroll through to see what the beautiful dolphin succulent looks like!
Succulents grow in all sorts of beautiful shapes, and some of them look positively extra-terrestrial!
But have you ever seen one that looks just like a dolphin before?
The latest houseplant craze involves a spectacular plant that looks just like the graceful aquatic mammal.
These adorable little plants put out round, plump leaves that really look like swimming dolphins.
Many succulents store extra water in little pod-like leaves to help survive droughts, but these are the only dolphin-shaped ones we've ever seen!
As demonstrated by the label in this picture, this living art has become very popular in Japan.
The technical name of the plant is Senecio Peregrinus, if you want to find some for your own home.
It's a cousin of similar plants, like String of Pearls and Blue Chalk.
Like many succulents, this dolphin variety flowers if it is given proper TLC.
The succulent is very low-maintenance compared to many other types of plants, but needs plenty of sunlight to put out flowers.
Dolphin succulents maintain their sea mammal shape as they grow too, meaning you can enjoy their appearance for as long as you remember to water your plant once in a while!
Even better, if you want to create another potful of beautiful dolphins, you can gently pull a few leaves off, and set them in some succulent potting soil.
Eventually, the itty-bitty dolphins while sprout roots and start growing their own "pod!"
Like all succulents, they look great with other species, and even thrive when sharing space.
Just make sure they are living happily with other desert plants, like sedums and cacti.
Also, make sure that they have soil with plenty of drainage, since these dolphins like to dry out completely in between waterings.
Of course, they also look great on their own and can really capture your imagination when potted by themselves.
They make for a beautiful statement decoration in any home, and might even make for a cool table centerpiece in the right pot or terrarium.
So the next time that you walk past a garden store and notice the succulent section, keep an eye out for the dolphins swimming in the air!
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