Over the course of thousands of years, succulents (from the Latin word succus = juice) have adapted to survive in regions with periodic droughts. To this end, the plants have evolved astounding morphological adaptations. Stem, leaf, petiole or roots were converted into juice stores. They store the water so that they can grow and bloom even in dry seasons. In addition to the cactus family (Cactaceae), we know of 78 other plant families that have succulent representatives.
Succulent plants are worldwide in distribution and are found mainly in semi-desert and arid regions. Scarcity of water, however, is not just limited to hot or arid regions, but also prevails in cold regions, on high mountains, and even in the tropical jungle. In wet regions, they only occur where the soil cannot retain water, for example on rocks or in places where there is no soil, such as trees. There are also succulents in Switzerland, such as houseleek or Biting stonecrop.