If you take a deep dive into the world of succulents, you quickly discover how incredibly varied and fascinating these plants can be.
One particular curiosity you’ll notice is that some species flower and fruit just once, and then they die.
If you’ve ever grown a kalanchoe that bloomed beautifully and then died, then you’ve encountered a monocarpic plant.
It’s worth investigating whether a succulent is monocarpic before you add it to your collection, because this knowledge can change your growing plans or techniques.
Plus, you won’t be surprised if your succulent seemed totally healthy and after blossoming it dropped dead.
In this guide, we’ll explain what monocarpism is and which succulents fall into this category. Here’s the list of species we’ll go over:
Before we look at the list, let’s clarify some terms.
The word “monocarpic” can be broken down into two: mono and carpic. In Greek, mono translates to one or single and karpos means fruit.
That doesn’t mean the plant only produces one flower, it refers to those species that flower just one time and then the lifecycle ends.
Some gardeners call this the “death bloom,” which I think is a term that should be accompanied by a deep voice and scary music.
Monocarpic plants are also referred to as suicidally reproductive or, incorrectly, hapaxanthic or semelparous.
Those latter two terms technically refer to species that have stems that die after flowering, not the entire plant.
A true monocarpic plant comes from a single zygote and the entire plant dies after it blooms. If a species only dies back partially, or new growth emerges from the roots, it’s not monocarpic.
Why does this happen? To understand it, we need to do a brief lesson in botany. All plants have apical meristems, which are specialized groups of cells responsible for growth.
In monocarpic succulents, the apical meristems produce vegetative growth throughout the plant’s life.
Then, as it reaches maturity, the apical meristems change and start producing the flower stem, or inflorescence.
This switch from vegetative growth to flower production is irreversible, so the apical meristems can no longer produce leaves, so when the flower fades and seeds are produced, the succulent dies.
Monocarpic succulents typically send out pups or plantlets, which are genetic clones, before they die. These plantlets develop their own root system and grow independently of the parent.
Some succulents are erroneously thought to be monocarpic. Echeveria, most crassula, peperomia, and sedum are all polycarpic.
Let’s take a look at nine monocarpic succulents in more detail:
1. Aeonium
Most tree houseleeks (Aeonium spp.) are monocarpic, but not all. Those with a rosette where a single flower stalk emerges from the center are likely the type that flower once and die.
In fact, just assume that yours is monocarpic unless you learn otherwise. Those with multiple stalks or pinwheel-like growth are likely not.
The name “Aeonium” comes from the ancient Greek word aiōnios, which means ageless.
This is a nod to the fact that they don’t seem to die. Instead, they send out plantlet clones that continue their lifecycle. The original specimen might die, but the clones keep on going.
Most come from the Canary Islands, but they’ve become popular garden plants in Zones 9 to 11 and houseplants around the world.
2. Agave
Agave is the genus that gives us tequila, syrup, and maintenance-free ornamentals for USDA Growing Zones 7 to 12, depending on the species.
These succulents are typically slow growing with thick, narrow leaves and originated in the Americas, though you’ll find them across the globe.
Not all Agave species are monocarpic. In fact, most are polycarpic, but they have sections that flower and die, which can cause some confusion among gardeners.
Of course, the famous century plant (A. americana) flowers once after decades of growth and then dies. If I had to guess, this would be one of the more famous monocarpic agaves.
Palmer’s agave (A. palmeri), Caribbean agave (A. angustifolia), foxtail (A. attenuata), dolphin agave (A. guiengola), and blue (A. tequilana) are all monocarpic.
An easy, though not totally foolproof, way to tell if an agave is monocarpic is to look at its growth habit. If the leaves emerge from a central basal rosette, it’s likely to be monocarpic.
Plant taxonomy is constantly changing. Just when you think you know where a species fits in the classification system it changes.
Manfreda is one such genus. Some experts classify the species in this genus as Polianthes, and others stick it in Agave. Right now, most are classified in the Agave genus.
Whatever you call them, not many Manfreda species are monocarpic, but a few are. Use the same guidelines in determining their growth pattern as you would with agave.
You can learn more about agave in our guide.
3. Aichryson
Aichryson is a genus of understory succulents indigenous to the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Morocco.
They aren’t nearly as popular in cultivation as their Aeoium and Sempervivum cousins.
That’s partially because they’re only hardy in Zones 9 to 11 and unlike many succulents, they prefer moist soil and cool conditions.
But Aichryson species make excellent houseplants and gardeners in regions like the Pacific Northwest, mid-Atlantic, or Pacific Coast should definitely give them a chance.
This genus comprises two sections: Aichryson and Macrobia. Sect. Macrobia only includes the species gouty houseleek (A. tortuosum), which is a polycarpic perennial uncommon in cultivation.
All of the other species in the genus belong to sect. Aichyrson and these are all monocarpic.
They can fill in shaded areas but will adapt to full sun, and they’ll add bright color with their neon yellow blossoms.
4. False Agave
Species in the Furcraea genus, commonly known as false agave, are all monocarpic and they’re not afraid to show it.
When they finally form, the flower stalks can be 40 feet tall or more. Mauritius hemp (F. foetida), for example, grows just a few feet tall but the flower stalk is 25 feet tall.
These succulents originated in Mexico, Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean, but they’ve naturalized in warm areas of North America, Africa, Australia, and India.
They can be cultivated in Zones 8 to 12, depending on the species.
The plants in this genus look a lot like agave, as you might have guessed. Botanists tell the two apart by looking at the flowers.
Agaves have bell-shaped blooms where Furcraea flowers are bulbous. To the home gardener, it’s pretty difficult to tell the two apart.
5. Jovibarba
Many botanists consider Jovibarba to be a defunct genus, with the three species formerly classified as Jovibarba reclassified as Sempervivum.
I’m mentioning this former genus separately because Job’s beard or Jupiter’s beard, as these plants are commonly known, are often still referred to as Jovibarba.
All of these are monocarpic, sending out tubular, bell-shaped blooms before they die. But they don’t reproduce like some of the other species on this list.
Instead, S. hueffelii forms pups inside of the mother plant. They don’t emerge unless you cut the plant open with a knife to expose them or you let the mother die after flowering.
On S. globifera and S. hirta, little offsets develop that detach from the parent and roll away. That’s why these two species are often called “rollers.”
These succulents grow in Zones 5 to 11, and are indigenous to the mountains of southeastern Europe.
6. Kalanchoe
Some, but not all, Kalanchoe species are monocarpic.
The often confused flapjacks K. luciae and K. thyrsiflora, along with mother of thousands (K. daigremontiana) flower once and die.
Many hybrids like ‘Pink Butterflies’ and alligator plant (K. × houghtonii) are also monocarpic.
It can be hard to tell by looking at a specimen if it’s a monocarpic one or not, but if the leaves grow out of a single main stem, the species is likely monocarpic.
But this doesn’t always apply, so you’ll need to research the specific species or hybrid if you need to know for sure.
Most are indigenous to Madagascar and Africa, but they have naturalized in many parts of the world and are popular as houseplants and garden plants.
Our guide to growing kalanchoes has more information.
7. Orostachys
Orostachys is a genus of succulents often mistaken for echeveria, sedums, or hens and chicks.
These plants originated in Asia and Russia, and thrive in relatively cool climates from Zones 4a to 9a. They have small clusters of pink and white flowers that appear during the summer or fall.
Most species in this genus are polycarpic and the flowers will appear year after year, but there are a few exceptions.
Chinese dunce caps (O. boehmeri, O. iwarenge, and O. furusei), rock pine (O. japonica), and spiny pennywort (O. spinosa) bloom once and then die.
The uncommon O. malacophylla var. malacophylla, O. maximowiczii, and O. gorovoii are monocarpic as well.
Orostachys species tend to quickly form dense clumps of rosettes, so when one blooms and dies, it’s hardly noticeable among the dozens of remaining rosettes.
8. Sempervivum
It should come as no surprise that Sempervivum species are monocarpic.
“Semper” means “always” and “vivus” means “life” in Latin. So these succulents live forever. Or, at least, they have the ability to continually put out new plants to replace the ones that die.
Hens and chicks can have some stunning blossoms. But when they appear, it means that the plant is nearing the end of its life.
This is true of all species in this genus. Thank goodness they send out so many little “chicks” to replace the dying parent.
Of course, these aren’t actually chicks, nor is the main plant a hen. In the world of botany, the chicks are known as offsets. They form on long horizontal stems called stolons.
The newly forming plant finds a spot in the soil, settles in, and develops roots. When it has roots in place, the stolon dies and the offset is now a plant in its own right. These offsets are clones of the parent.
As the plant matures, it eventually develops star-shaped flowers in pink, red, yellow, or white.
These flowers give way to fruits with seeds, and then the plant dies. Some species live only a few years, and some live a decade or more. You can find options for Zones 3 to 11.
Learn more about hens and chicks in our growing guide.
9. Yucca
The vast majority of Yucca and Hesperoyucca species are polycarpic, but a few aren’t.
Among the monocarpic species, chaparral yucca (Y. whipplei syn. Hesperoyucca whipplei) grows a gorgeous ten-foot-tall flower stalk with hundreds of white, pink, or purple bell-shaped flowers.
Adam’s needle yucca (Y. filamentosa) has shorter, less showy inflorescences.
Newberry’s yucca (H. newberryi) is monocarpic and peninsular candle (H. peninsularis) can be either mono- or polycarpic, depending on the plant and the environment.
What’s with the two genera, you might be asking. Hesperoyucca is a genus of just three species were formerly classified as Yucca and mostly, they’re still called yuccas.
To the home grower, they’re indistinguishable. In reality, even botanists don’t agree on how the plants in these two genera should be classified.
The classification of chaparral yucca, for example, is still a hot topic of debate.
You can learn more about yucca plants in our growing guide.
You Only Live Once
I can’t tell you how many times someone has complained about losing a favorite succulent and assumed they had done something wrong.
It’s just the nature of some succulents to bloom once and then die.
Have you grown a plant that died after flowering and did it initially confuse you? Or are you interested in learning more about the fascinating world of succulents?
Let us know your experience with these plants in the comments.
If you want to learn more about succulents, and who could blame you, here are a few guides to add to your reading list:
