White flowers carry a timeless elegance, and many succulents produce blooms of the purest ivory, cream, and snow-white imaginable. From tiny alpine rosettes smothered in starry white clusters to towering desert giants bearing massive white panicles, the range of white-flowering succulents is extraordinary. The plants below span a wide variety of forms, sizes, and growing conditions, united by the quiet beauty of their white blooms.
Cobweb Houseleek
The Cobweb Houseleek is one of nature’s most intriguing succulents, its tight little rosettes wrapped in a dense web of silky white threads that look as though a spider has been at work. In summer, upright stems rise from the rosettes bearing clusters of starry, rose-pink to white flowers with delicate petals. The white-flowered forms are especially beautiful, the blooms glowing above the silver-webbed foliage. Fully hardy to zone 4, it spreads into enchanting silvery mats in rock gardens and alpine troughs.
White-Flowering Sempervivum
Several Sempervivum cultivars and species produce soft, creamy-white to pale ivory flowers on upright stems in mid-summer, creating a delicate, frothy display above their dense colonies of geometric rosettes. The monocarpic flowering rosette dies after blooming, but not before the surrounding offsets ensure the colony continues to expand. White-flowering varieties such as ‘White Christmas’ are prized for the clean contrast their pale blooms make against dark, richly colored foliage.
Haworthia
Haworthias are compact, shade-tolerant succulents producing neat rosettes of thick, often windowed or warty leaves, and in summer they send up slender, wiry flower stems bearing small, tubular, white-and-green striped flowers in loose racemes. Though the individual flowers are modest in size, they are delicately pretty up close and are produced freely on a healthy plant. Haworthias thrive in low-light conditions indoors and outdoors in sheltered spots, making them one of the most versatile white-flowering succulents.
Gasteria
Gasteria, sometimes called ox-tongue plant, produces thick, tongue-shaped or strap-like leaves arranged in fans or rosettes, often attractively marked with white spots and bands. The flowers, borne on tall, branched stems, are tubular and pendulous in soft white to pale green tones, sometimes tinged with pink at the base. They are extremely tolerant of neglect and low light and make excellent houseplants or patio container plants, offering both interesting foliage and graceful, arching white flower stems.
Christmas Cactus (White)
White-flowering forms of Christmas cactus produce spectacular, multi-petaled, trumpet-shaped blooms of pure snow-white to soft cream that appear in late autumn and winter, precisely when white flowers are most welcome indoors. The flowers are large, showy, and long-lasting, hanging at the tips of the flat, segmented, arching green stems. ‘White Christmas’ and similar cultivars are particularly sought after for their elegant, season-appropriate coloring that works beautifully in festive arrangements.
Easter Cactus (White)
The white-flowering Easter cactus blooms in spring with large, star-shaped, open-faced flowers of pure white held at the tips of flat, scallop-edged stem segments. Unlike the nodding Christmas cactus flowers, Easter cactus blooms face upward and outward in a more open, daisy-like form. The combination of bright green succulent stems and pristine white spring flowers creates a fresh, joyful display. It prefers bright, indirect light and a cool rest period in winter to set its buds reliably.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera, the most universally known succulent in the world, occasionally produces tall, upright flower spikes bearing tubular flowers that, in certain cultivars and growing conditions, open to a pale creamy-yellow or near-white rather than the more typical orange-yellow. The thick, fleshy, gel-filled leaves arranged in upright fans are the plant’s most famous feature, but in full sun and warm conditions outdoors it flowers freely, the tall spikes rising well above the foliage and adding vertical interest to the planting.
White Ghost Cactus (Myrtillocactus)
The White Ghost cactus is a striking, heavily branched columnar cactus with a ghostly, powder-blue to blue-white waxy coating on its candelabra-like stems. In spring it produces small but numerous white to cream flowers along the ribs of its branches, creating a soft, delicate contrast against the cool blue stem color. Grown primarily for its dramatic, architectural form and otherworldly blue coloring, the white flowers are a seasonal bonus on this eye-catching specimen plant for warm, dry garden climates.
Dudleya brittonii (Giant Chalk Dudleya)
Giant Chalk Dudleya is one of the most visually striking of all succulents, forming large, open rosettes of broad, spoon-shaped leaves coated in the thickest, most brilliant chalk-white powder of any plant — a natural wax so intense the plant appears sculpted from white chalk or porcelain. In late spring it produces branched flower stems bearing small, tubular, pale yellow to near-white flowers above the spectacular rosette. The white powdery foliage is the real show, glowing brilliantly in sunlight and making every other plant nearby seem dull by comparison.
Sedum album (White Stonecrop)
White stonecrop is a low, mat-forming succulent with tiny, cylindrical, bright green leaves that often turn red in drought or cold, and in early summer it covers itself entirely in masses of small, pure white, star-shaped flowers that completely obscure the foliage below. Hardy to zone 3, it is one of the most prolific white-flowering ground-covering succulents available, spreading steadily across rock gardens, dry walls, and poor soils. The white flower display is dense and showy, creating a cloud-like effect when in full bloom.
Yucca filamentosa (Adam’s Needle)
Adam’s Needle produces one of the most dramatic white flower displays of any succulent, sending up a towering spike — sometimes six feet or more — packed with large, pendulous, creamy-white bell-shaped flowers in early summer. Each individual flower is waxy and elegant, and the combined effect of hundreds of blooms on a single spike is spectacular. The flowers are also fragrant, especially in the evening. Hardy to zone 4, this bold native succulent is a remarkable garden plant that earns its place year-round.
Agave americana (Century Plant)
When the Century Plant finally blooms after its long years of patient growth, it produces one of the most extraordinary flower structures in the plant world — a towering candelabra-like spike reaching 20 to 30 feet, bearing masses of large, creamy-white to pale greenish-white flowers on sweeping horizontal branches. The flowers drip with nectar and are eagerly visited by bats, hummingbirds, and insects. The spectacle lasts for weeks and is unforgettable in scale. After flowering, the central rosette dies, leaving behind a ring of pups.
Aloe polyphylla (Spiral Aloe)
Spiral aloe is perhaps the most geometrically perfect plant in existence, its leaves arranged in a mathematically precise five-pointed spiral that can wind either clockwise or counterclockwise. In late spring to early summer it produces tall, branched flower stems bearing pendulous, tubular flowers that in some forms open to a soft, creamy pinkish-white or pale salmon-white. The plant is notoriously difficult to grow outside its native Lesotho highlands but is deeply prized by collectors for its unmatched geometric beauty.
Crassula ovata (Jade Plant)
The Jade Plant is one of the most beloved and widely grown succulents in the world, and in late autumn and winter — particularly after a dry, cool period — it produces dense clusters of tiny, star-shaped, white to pale pink flowers at the tips of its branches, covering the plant in a frothy, sweet-scented haze of bloom. The flowers have five pointed white petals with pink stamens and a delicate, honey-like fragrance. A mature, well-grown jade plant in full flower is a genuinely beautiful sight.
Crassula rupestris (Rosary Vine Crassula)
Rosary vine crassula is a neat, compact succulent with stiff, upright or slightly arching stems lined with small, rounded, stacked leaves in gray-green to pinkish tones. In late spring and summer it produces dense, rounded clusters of tiny white to cream star-shaped flowers at the stem tips, covering the plant in a soft, powdery haze of bloom. The white flowers contrast prettily with the gray-green foliage, and the plant is wonderfully easy to grow in containers and rock gardens.
Aeonium arboreum (White-Flowering Form)
While many aeoniums produce yellow flowers, white-flowering forms and related species exist with cream-colored to white flower panicles rising above their dramatic rosettes of glossy, waxy leaves. Aeoniums form shrubby, branching plants with bold, flat, plate-like rosettes at the stem tips, and in late winter to spring they produce conical, pyramid-shaped flower heads packed with tiny individual blooms. The white-flowering forms are particularly beautiful against the dark, near-black foliage of certain cultivars.
Euphorbia milii (Crown of Thorns — White)
Crown of Thorns is a spiny, succulent shrub with thick, thorny stems and clusters of bright green leaves, and white-flowering cultivars — sometimes called ‘White Lomi’ or similar — produce masses of small but cheerful white bracts around tiny central flowers, giving the impression of white blooms. The white forms have a clean, crisp appearance that works well in tropical and Mediterranean-style plantings. They bloom almost continuously in warm conditions, making them one of the longest-flowering of all succulent plants.
Graptopetalum paraguayense (Ghost Plant)
Ghost plant produces loose, sprawling rosettes of thick, flat, triangular leaves in soft pearlescent silvery-gray and lavender-pink tones, and in spring it sends up arching flower stems bearing small, star-shaped, white to pale cream flowers with red-spotted petals. The five-petaled, crystalline-looking white flowers are delicate and charming, held on fine, wiry stems that arch outward gracefully from the rosette. Ghost plant is easy to grow, tolerates neglect well, and self-propagates enthusiastically from dropped leaves.
Echeveria elegans (Mexican Snowball)
Mexican snowball is one of the prettiest and most widely grown echeverias, forming perfectly symmetrical, tight rosettes of spoon-shaped, translucent, pale blue-white leaves that give the plant its frosty, snowball-like appearance. In late winter to spring it produces arching, pink-red flower stems bearing tubular flowers that are pink on the outside and yellow-white within. The overall effect of the icy, blue-white rosette and the delicate arching flower stem is one of the most elegant in the succulent world.
Sedum dasyphyllum (Corsican Stonecrop)
Corsican stonecrop is a tiny, mossy-looking succulent forming dense, bun-shaped cushions of minute, rounded, blue-gray to purple-tinged leaves with a powdery bloom. In early summer it produces a modest but sweet display of tiny white flowers with pink stamens that cover the cushion like confetti. Hardy to zone 6, it is ideal for rock garden crevices, troughs, and the gaps between paving stones, where its diminutive scale and cool blue-gray coloring are best appreciated.
Lithops (Living Stones — White)
Living Stones are among the most bizarre and fascinating succulents in existence, mimicking the appearance of the pebbles and stones among which they grow in the deserts of southern Africa. White-flowering lithops species produce large, daisy-like white flowers of surprising beauty that emerge from the fissure between the two fleshy, stone-like leaf lobes in autumn. The contrast between the rough, mottled, pebble-like body and the pristine white flower is one of the most extraordinary visual juxtapositions in the plant kingdom.
Conophytum (White)
Conophytums are tiny, jewel-like succulents closely related to lithops, each plant consisting of a pair of fused, fleshy lobes that form a small, pebble-like body. White-flowering conophytum species produce surprisingly large, daisy-like white flowers relative to the miniature plant body, often with a sweet, nocturnal fragrance. They grow in tight, dome-shaped clusters and are among the most collectible of all succulents, prized by enthusiasts for their tiny, perfect scale and the charming disproportion of their large white blooms.
Agave victoriae-reginae (Queen Victoria Agave)
Queen Victoria Agave is widely considered the most beautiful of all agaves — a compact, slow-growing rosette of dark green, triangular leaves precisely marked with brilliant white lines and margins, as though painted by hand. When it finally flowers after many years, it produces a tall spike bearing creamy-white to pale yellowish-white flowers. The exquisite contrast of the dark green and white foliage is the plant’s primary ornamental quality, but the white flower spike, when it comes, crowns a lifetime of patient, architectural beauty.
Furcraea foetida (Mauritius Hemp)
Furcraea is a large, dramatic succulent related to agave, forming imposing rosettes of long, sword-shaped, soft green leaves. When it blooms — which may be after many years — it produces a massive, branching flower spike reaching 20 feet or more, covered in thousands of small, greenish-white, bell-shaped, sweetly fragrant flowers. The white flower spike is an extraordinary sight, resembling a vast chandelier of white blooms. After flowering the main plant dies, but bulbils — tiny plantlets — form along the flower stalk and drop to the ground to start new plants.
Rhodiola rosea (Roseroot)
Roseroot is a cold-hardy, succulent-leaved alpine plant from the mountains of Europe, Asia, and the Arctic, producing thick, blue-gray, waxy stems lined with flat, toothed, fleshy leaves and topped in early summer with dense, flat-topped clusters of small, creamy-white to pale yellow flowers. Male and female flowers are on separate plants, and the white-flowering female plants produce attractive reddish-bronze seed heads. Fully hardy to zone 1, roseroot is one of the toughest succulent-type plants on earth and has a long history of medicinal use.
Orostachys (White-Flowering Forms)
Several Orostachys species produce white to cream-colored flower spikes on their distinctive, conical, monocarpic flowering stems. The tiny individual flowers are densely packed along the elongating spike, creating a neat, bottle-brush or candle-like effect above the flat rosette. As the rosette dies after flowering, the white flower spike is the plant’s dramatic parting gesture before the surrounding offsets take over. The combination of silvery-gray foliage and white flowers is cool, refined, and beautiful in the rock garden.
Portulacaria afra (Elephant Bush — White-Flowering Form)
Elephant Bush is a succulent shrub from South Africa with small, round, bright green, glossy leaves on reddish stems, widely used in bonsai and as a hedge in warm climates. In late summer and autumn, mature plants occasionally produce tiny, star-shaped, pale lavender to nearly white flowers in small clusters along the stems, dusting the plant in a soft haze of bloom. The white-flowered forms are particularly delicate and pretty, the tiny blooms creating a fine-textured floral mist over the rounded, bushy outline of the plant.
Sedum hispanicum (Spanish Stonecrop)
Spanish stonecrop forms low, delicate-looking cushions of tiny, cylindrical, blue-green to purplish-gray leaves that give it an almost mossy, fine-textured appearance. In early summer it produces a generous display of small, five-petaled white flowers, sometimes tinged with pink, that cover the plant attractively. Hardy to zone 5, it is a beautiful and underused ground-covering succulent for rock gardens and dry walls, where its soft, feathery texture and white flower display make a gentle, refined impression.
Kalanchoe thyrsiflora (Paddle Plant — White-Flowering)
Paddle plant forms striking rosettes of large, flat, paddle-shaped leaves with vivid red margins, and when it blooms — which the main rosette does only once before dying — it produces a tall, stout flower spike bearing clusters of small, tubular, white to pale yellow flowers with a strong, sweet fragrance. The white flowers are lightly fragrant and appear above the architectural foliage. The plant self-seeds and produces offsets before the main rosette dies, ensuring the colony continues in the garden.
Agave parryi (Artichoke Agave)
The Artichoke Agave blooms infrequently but spectacularly, sending up a tall, branched flower spike bearing large, creamy-white to pale yellow flowers tinged with red at the bud stage and opening to white as they mature. The flowers are produced in dense clusters on the spreading horizontal branches of the spike, creating a candelabra-like effect above the compact, gray-blue rosette. This is one of the most cold-hardy agaves, and its flower spike — when it finally comes after a decade or more — is a memorable event.
Crassula perforata (String of Buttons)
String of Buttons is a charming, compact succulent with triangular, gray-green leaves banded in pink that stack tightly around the stem in opposite pairs, creating the appearance of a string of square buttons. In late winter to spring it produces small clusters of tiny, star-shaped, white to pale cream flowers at the stem tips, adding a delicate, lacy quality to the already attractive foliage. It is an easy, rewarding container succulent that trails gracefully over the edge of pots and is a favorite in succulent arrangements.
Aloinopsis (Stoneface)
Aloinopsis, sometimes called stoneface, is a small, clustering succulent from the semi-arid regions of South Africa, producing compact rosettes of thick, warty, gray-green leaves. In winter to early spring — unusually, in the cold season — it produces comparatively large, daisy-like flowers in white, cream, or pale yellow with a central stripe of color on each petal. The flowers open in sunshine and close at night. The contrast between the rough, pebbly texture of the leaves and the silky, delicate white flowers is quietly beautiful.
Titanopsis (Jewel Plant — White)
Titanopsis is a tiny succulent from the limestone deserts of South Africa, producing rosettes of small, triangular leaves encrusted with white, grayish, or reddish tubercles that mimic the appearance of the calcrete rock in which it grows — a remarkable example of plant camouflage. In autumn and winter it produces small but beautiful daisy-like flowers in white, cream, or pale yellow that open wide in full sun. The white-flowered forms have an ethereal, frosty prettiness that is quite unlike any other succulent.
Graptopetalum bellum (Chihuahua Flower)
Chihuahua Flower is a small, flat-rosette succulent with triangular, gray-green leaves forming a neat, symmetrical plate, and in spring it produces some of the most spectacularly large and beautiful flowers relative to plant size of any succulent — wide, open, star-shaped blooms in white to palest blush-pink, sometimes with delicate pinkish veining, on short, clustered stems. The flowers appear in generous numbers and are of a size and perfection that seems entirely improbable for such a compact plant, making it a collector’s treasure.
Sedum morganianum (Burro’s Tail — White-Flowering Form)
Burro’s Tail is a beloved trailing succulent with long, rope-like stems densely packed with plump, overlapping, blue-green to gray-green leaves that hang dramatically from hanging baskets and containers. In summer, small clusters of tiny, star-shaped, white to pale pink flowers appear at the tips of the trailing stems, adding a subtle floral accent to the already beautiful cascade of foliage. The white-flowering selections are particularly refined, the tiny blooms appearing like scattered stars at the ends of the long, sweeping tails.