Succulents and Cacti
Succulents and cacti have very low water requirements. It is also important to make sure they do not get too much water. Some irrigation systems may need to be modified. The following suggestions do well in our area and are typically hardy to our zone.
A few things to know while reviewing this information:
Cacti and succulent names sometimes change. I will do my best to keep these up to date.
In taxonomy, a synonym is not interchangeable with the accepted name. Simply put, synonyms (in taxonomy) are different scientific names referring to the same plant that has a new name. The new name is the "accepted name" and should be used moving forward.
Cacti and succulent hybridizing is extremely popular, with new species added every year. I'll do my best to keep up!
Cold Hardy Cacti and Succulents by Type
Fishhook Barrel Cactus
Ferocactus and Echinocactus are genera of cacti commonly referred to as Barrel Cacti. They are barrel-shaped, ribbed, and have many spines.
There are around 30 species in the genus Ferocactus and about 9 species in the Echinocactus genus.
By Drew Avery - Bear Grass {nolina texana}Uploaded by Amada44, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25246900
This plant is not a true grass, but actually a succulent. There are about 25 species within the genus Nolina.
By Matt Lavin - https://www.flickr.com/photos/35478170@N08/52983388647/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133407191
There are around 60 species and many subspecies in the genus Coryphantha. So far, I've found about 11 that are cold-hardy in Central Texas. There are even a few that are native to Texas.
There are over 250 species of Agave. Now add natural hybrids, man-made hybrids, subspecies, and forms. That's a lot! This is why I narrowed the focus of this site to provide information on Agaves that are cold hardy to Central Texas. Ready to dive into the world of Agaves?
Cholla is the common name for the genus Cylindropuntia. The genus contains about 35 species with various subspecies. You may know it as Cholla, Walking Stick Cactus, Jumping Cactus, or Chainlink Cactus. They have a nasty habit of detaching pieces of their stems and hitching a ride on hikers!
By Fritz Hochstätter, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17883796
These are not actually Yuccas, but members of the Century Plant family. This includes what most of you know as Red Yucca. The Hesperaloe genus only contains a handful of species.
Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus)
Echinocereus aguirrei
Echinocereus coccineus (E. triglochidiatus), Claret Cup
Echinocereus dasyacanthus, Texas Rainbow Hedgehog
Echinocereus delaetii
Echinocereus desyacanthus v. rectispinus
Echinocereus Fitchii
Echinocereus reichenbachii, Lace Cactus
Echinocereus reichenbachii albispinus
Echinocereus Huasteca canyon arizonicus
Echinocereus knippelanius Orcutt
Echinocereus rigidissimus 'Rubispinus' Rainbow Hedgehog Cactus
Echinocereus Rusanthus Vulpicandae
Echinocereus russanthus weedinii
Echinocereus schwarzii
Echinocereus triglochidiatus
Echinocereus viridiflorus montanus
Echinocereus stramineus
Ice Plant (Delosperma)
This section may take a bit longer as there are a ton that are winter hardy, but I've noticed the heat as an issue. Please be patient. Hardy Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi) seems the best for me so far, but clients lose them in the heat.
Delosperma species/cultivars
Leatherpetal (Graptopetalum)
Graptopetalum mendozae
Graptopetalum paraguayense Ghost Plant
By Consultaplantas - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59437049
Manfreda maculosa
Manfreda virginica
Mangaves
Ocotillo (Fouquieria)
Fouquieria splendens, Ocotillo
By User:Carstor - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4058835
Missouri Foxtail Cactus, Escobaria missouriensis
Texas Spiny Star Cactus, Escobaria vivipara
Sneed's Pincushion Cactus, Escobaria sneedii
Prickly Pear (Opuntia)
Opuntia basilaris, Beavertail Cactus
Opuntia fragilis, Brittle Prickly Pear
Opuntia cacanapa cv. 'Ellisiana' Spineless Prickly Pear
Opuntia 'Desert Ace'
Opuntia ellisian
Opuntia engelmannii v. lindheimeri, Texas Prickly Pear
Opuntia engelmannii v. linguiformis, Cow’s Tongue Prickly Pear
Opuntia fulgida, Boxing Glove Cactus
Opuntia 'Grand Mesa Peach'
Opuntia macrocentra, Long-spine Purple Prickly Pear
Opuntia macrorhiza, Plains Prickly Pear
Opuntia parryi serpentina cristata
Opuntia 'Pina Colada’
Opuntia santa rita
Opuntia 'Snow Fuzzy'
Opuntia strigil, Marble-fruit Prickly Pear
Opuntia subulata cristata
Opuntia subulata cristata 'Snow Ridge'
Working on it! There's a ton!
Sotol (Dasylirion)
Dasylirion berlandieri
Dasylirion texanum,Texas Sotol
Dasylirion wheeleri, Blue Sotol
Yucca aloifolia
Yucca angustissima RED SEPAL FORM, Narrow-leafed Yucca zone 5
Yucca angustissima ssp. Kaibabensis, Kaibab Yucca zone 5
Yucca baccata
Yucca baccata 'Pink Marshmallow' zone 4 (possibly a hybrid *Coldhardycactus.com)
Yucca baccata v. vespertine zone 4
Yucca elata
Yucca elata (Elfin Form) zone 5
Yucca elata var. radiosa Zone 5/6
Yucca elata var. utahensis zone 5
Yucca faxoniana x rostrata zone 5
Yucca faxoniana, Spanish Dagger
Yucca filamentosa
Yucca glauca (Sky Blue Form) zone 3
Yucca glauca x baccata zone 5
Yucca glauca, Plains Soapweed zone 3-4
Yucca glauca, Soapweed Yucca
Yucca gloriosa, Spanish Dagger
Yucca harrimaniae zone 4
Yucca nana, Dollhouse Yucca zone 4
Yucca neomexicana Mini New Mexico Yucca zone 4
Yucca pallida, Texas Blue Yucca
Yucca recurvifolia
Yucca reverchonii 'Seep Yucca' zone 5
Yucca rigida
Yucca rostrata, Beaked Yucca
Yucca rupicola, Twisted Leaf Yucca
Yucca 'Silver Anniversary' 5b-10b cross between Yucca filamentosa and Yucca pallida.
Yucca thompsoniana, Thompson’s Yucca
Yucca toftiae zone 5
Yucca torreyi 'Chaves' 5b is a hardier strain of Yucca torreyi
Yucca torreyi, (Torrey's Tree Yucca) -10 or -15 degrees
Yucca treculeana CROCKET CO, TX FORM zone 6
Yucca treculeana, Spanish Dagger