23 Fuzzy Leaf Succulent Species (With Pictures)

Some species of succulents have small hairs on their leaves and can appear in different forms depending on the species, short, long, very soft or a little harder. The hairs, whose technical term is trichomes, are more or less delicate plant organs, which can fulfill various functions in plants.

Like the wax of many succulent leaves, the hairs of some succulents are part of their adaptation to the environment and their functions are varied and even opposed. Among them may be avoiding the loss of water from the plant or being able to capture water from the dew, protection against insects, or perhaps protection to avoid excessive incidence of light on the surface of the leaves or adverse weather conditions.

Fuzzy Leaf Succulent Species List

Hairy succulent species are very attractive and here are some examples of them.

Aeonium smithii

Aeonium smithii (also Sempervivum smithii) is a perennial deciduous, succulent shrublets to 60 cm high. It has rather untypical characteristics that distinguish it from other aeoniums. The leaves are spotted on the underside only, and when these fall off, there remains along the lower edge of the cicatrices a row of stiff hairs. After the falling of the leaves the hairiness increases and the stem becomes generally hispid (shaggy), though older stems tend to lose these hair.

The leaves are spoon-shaped, undulated with many soft hairs, deep green with red stripes on both sides velvety to the touch and glossy on the upper surface. It is extremely prolific in blossoms, the flower stalks are up 15 cm tall above the rosettes of leaves. The flower are yellow 2.5 cm across, have usually 10-12 petals, eighteen stamens, and 10-12 pistils.

Aichryson laxum

Aichryson laxum is an annual or most often biennial semi-succulent herbaceous plant (it dies after flowering unless the inflorescence is removed as the flowers die). It is 15-40 (rarely up to 80) cm tall, often weedy and fragile. The whole plant is covered with soft, short hairs up to 4 mm long and hairy, green or reddish (in strong light) leaves, up to 7.5 cm long, arranged in rosettes at the tip of stems.

The inflorescence is a branched cluster of up to 50 star-like, yellow flowers. Although it is very similar to Aichryson porphyrogennetos Bolle, it is best recognized by its soft, hairy, long-petiolate, blunt leaves , which are wider near the base and mid-yellow flowers. The hairs do not have a glandular tip and the leaves lack black glands at the edges.

Aichryson tortuosum

Aichryson tortuosum is a small, very ornamental, perennial shrublet 10-15(-20) cm tall with dense tortuous branches, hence the specific name. It has crowded, fleshy and pubescent (downy) leaves in dense rosettes looking like a miniature Aeonium lindleyi. The small yellow flowers in a lax inflorescence typically have seven or eight petals. This neat little plant is the old and long-known Sempervivum tortuosum. It is quite variable and, as for most members of Aichryson, the true, unhybridized species is rarely seen in cultivation.

Cotyledon tomentosa

Cotyledon tomentosa (Bear’s Paw or Kitten Paw), is a succulent shrublet native to Africa that can rich a height of 30-70 centimetres and a diameter of 30-50 cm, more or less densely branched. Like all tomentose plants this has leaves, flowers and stems all covered with down. The leaves, grape- to thumb-sized, feel fat and soft to the touch just like the little paddy paws of a baby animal, complete with red toe-nails It forms large orange bell-shaped flowers in spring.

Cotyledon tomentosa subs. ladismithiensis

Cotyledon tomentosa subsp. ladismithiensis (Cat’s Paw) is a rare perennial freely branching succulent shrublet distinguished from the well-known Cotyledon tomentosa subsp. tomentosa, by comparing the leaves, the size of the plant and the orientation of the flower. The subsp. ladismithiensis, has stronger branches and may reach 1 m in height (including the inflorescence). The leaves are oblong-elliptic or almost cylindrical, yellow-green and tomentose with usually few sharp apical teeth. Like all tomentose plants this has leaves, flowers and stems all matted, forming a woolly coating. The pendulous red flowers resemble those of Cotyledon orbiculata.

Crassula barbata

Crassula barbata (Bearded Leaved Crassula) is a biennial or annual rosette-forming succulent species up to a span high when flowering, usually with one rosette with leaves spirally arranged and old ones remaining attached to stems. Leaves are glabrous but characteristically bearded along the truncate apex with long white spreading hairs. The spikes of small, white to pinkish flowers appear in spring. The rosette will open up as the centre extends to form the tall flower stem, and after flowering it will die. Fortunately the dying rosette usually produces a number of basal rosettes which can be detached and grown on to repeat the cycle.

Crassula namaquensis

Crassula namaquensis is a dwarf succulent shrub to 100 mm high having a stout base and clusters of spirally arranged leaves. These leaves are fuzzy, pale blue to blue-green due to the peculiar hairs which are thickly distributed over the surface. Flowers in a terminal head, white. It is related to Crassula tecta.

Crassula pubescens

Crassula pubescens is a small semi-shrubby, perennial, succulent up to 30(-70) cm tall forming dense groups, with deciduous leaves. It has fragile stems and pubescent leaves. It is distinguished by its decumbent to erect habit without adventitious roots, a rounded inflorescence and petal appendages twice as long as broad and elongate-elliptic, the corolla cream to pale yellow. The pubescence varies much in different specimens in some the hairs are very short thinly scattered in others dense somewhat tomentose and even canescent. It blooms for months in winter and spring, with white fragrant flowers.

Crassula rogersii

Crassula rogersii is a small, much-branched, decumbent to erect succulent bush with fleshy red stems and club-shaped leaves. The leaves are covered with short white hairs giving them a velvety appearance and a felt-like texture. In its natural habitat, Crassula rogersii forms a small, tight cushion to 15-30 cm tall. The plant remains green in shady spots but is at its best with plenty of sunlight, where the leaves become tipped with red. The tiny star-shaped flowers are yellow, and are held in small clusters at the end of thin stems from mid-summer to autumn. There are several hybrids of this plant.

Crassula sericea

Crassula sericea (var. sericea) is a small perennial succulent subshrub up to 20 cm high, usually much branched, forming rounded spreading tufts. Its densely hairy leaves are borne at the ends of the branches, the are flat, rather blunt, and have a brown margin. The stems of old plants are sometimes woody and leafless. The petals have characteristic and distinctive dorsal appendages. A yellow-green versions of C. sericea is commonly encountered in the wild, but all forms of the species are worth cultivating. The variability of it foliage makes it easy to confuse with other species.

Crassula setulosa

Crassula setulosa is a small to robust, perennial succulent herb, that produces attractive tiny rosettes of fleshy, oval leaves usually less than a centimetre in length which are fringed with white small bristles (leaf margins). It forms very dense cushions or mounds sometimes up to 40 cm wide and 5-10 cm high (25 cm in flower), sometimes shortly stoloniferous. Crimson buds open into small, white or reddish flowers in summer. Flowers develop into small capsules which release fine dust-like seed.

The whole plant generally clothed with spreading bristles; but the larger leaves sometimes quite bare; sometimes clothed on one side only. This species is exceedingly variable especially with regard to its leaves which vary in size, shape and hairiness with several different variety or forms, which, however, run into one another, some of them certainly mere variations without taxonomical value. There are five recognized varieties: the nominate variety, Crassula setulosa var.jenkinsii, Crassula setulosa var. deminuta, Crassula setulosa var. rubra and Crassula setulosa var. longiciliata.

Crassula tecta

Crassula tecta is a small and attractive perennial species with obtuse, greyish-green, thick leaves 20-30 mm long densely covered with ash coloured papillae resembling the scales of a butterfly’s wing. It is somewhat more succulent than other members of the genus Crassula. Growth is not very fast, but eventually low compact clumps up to 5 cm tall and 6 cm wide, are formed which are entirely different from any of the other crassulas. The inflorescence consists of a head of several, white flowers at the end of a peduncle about 10 cm tall. There are several different looking clones of C. tecta.

Crassula tomentosa

Crassula tomentosa, or woolly crassula, is a perennials or biennials succulent with one to few, rarely many rosettes, compact rosettes of greyish green leaves to 60 cm tall (including the inflorescence). Everywhere is densely clothed with rigid, reflexed bristly-hairs. It is monocarpic that is to say that its individual rosettes flower only once in their life, set seeds and then die. Crassula tomentosa is a very variable species (especially in hairiness and size and shape of leaves) with many slightly different forms.

Crassula velutina

Crassula sericea var. velutina differs from var. sericea for its smaller size (less than to 15 cm tall including inflorescences), and decumbent to erect, sparingly branched growth. The stems are very short (usually less than 30 mm long) with larger flattened leaves with velvety hairs. Using a jewellers eye piece the very tiny hairs appears dense and upright. The yellow pointed petals usually lack dorsal appendages.

Echeveria cv. Bombycina

Echeveria cv. Bombycina is a cross between Echeveria setosa and Echeveria pulvinata. This is one of the most commonly seen echeveria hybrid, which is usually seen without the ‘x’ on the label (indicating that it is a hybrid) and many collectors do not realise that this is not a true species. E. cv. ‘Bombycina’ is somewhat more furry and has tighter rosettes than its relative.

This hybrid resembles Echeveria pilosa which is similar to Echeveria setosa, but its stem remains short, the rosette is more voluminous and denser and the leaves are larger and broader and very strongly hairy – giving it a less accentuated and more pleasant appearance. And above all the inflorescences are far less tall than those of E. setosa and E. pilosa, sometimes even extremely short, so that it looks as charming as Echeveria pulvinata which it resembles in shape, size, colour and texture of its radiant flowers.

Echeveria coccinea

The Echeveria coccinea is a succulent rosette forming shrub, up to 60 cm tall or more that tends to branch at base. Upright at first, its stems become prostrate and root into the soil to form a spreading mound. The plant is soft-pubescent except for the inside of the flowers. The species is somehow variable in habitat and in cultivation too, comparable plants labelled E. coccinea vary considerably in stem and leaf shape depending on clone and growing condition.

Echeveria setosa

Echeveria setosa is an almost stemless, slowly clustering, rosette-succulent that forms in dense mounds. It is a very distinct echeveria, with a remarkable pubescence, but extremely variable. Plants varies from almost glabrous to very furry with stiff, glistening white hairs, depending on the variety. It clusters freely giving off offsets from the base and readily forming dense mounds.

Kalanchoe eriophylla

Kalanchoe eriophylla, native to Madagascar, is a pretty succulent plant with slender tomentose stems, and thick-fleshy leaves covered with with a fine felt of whitish hairs that give it a plump, furry look. One of the woolliest of all succulents. It does not flower freely and the small flowers are a rather crude pink. This species is very attractive.

Kalanchoe tomentosa

It is a beautiful slow growing perennial succulent plant with dense white felt-like hairs covering the entire leaf eventually forming an upright small shrub that will reach about 35-45 cm (In nature, it grows to 1 m in height). It is a very attractive but polymorphic species and there are many cultivars with color variants .It is commonly sold as Panda Plant or Pussy Ears because of its furry leaves.

The dense covering of hairs performs a vital function for the plant in the form of water conservation. In the dry environment in which it lives, it must conserve what little water it can absorb from the soil. The dense mat of hairs growing from the leaf retards the movement of air directly across the leaf surface, thereby reducing water vapor loss (transpiration). The “dead-air” space created by the numerous trichomes insulates the leaf from its harsh external environment, too. In addition, the white-silver appearance of the leaves reflects light, lessening the chances of the leaves overheating.

Sedum mocinianum

Sedum mocinianum is one of the most attractive of all sedums. It is a perennial mat forming succulent herb, with pendent stems up to 80 cm long. Little white flowers with dark red anthers appear in winter, and in April in Mexico, always a welcome time. Sedum mocinianum is best distinguished by the dense covering of white hyaline hairs to 0.5 mm long, on all its parts except interior of flowers.

Tylecodon leucothrix

Tylecodon leucothrix, sometimes called bunny ears and in Afrika commonly known as doubossie (little dew bush), probably because of the way the dew collects on the leaf hairs, is a succulent shrublet with peeling stems to 20(-30) cm tall from an underground tuber (caudex). The leaves are thickly succulent and covered in dense white hairs and generally dry and drop off in summer. The flowers appearing in summer are tubular, white or pinkish.

Source:
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