Are you looking for beautiful succulents to add to your home garden? If you answered “yes,” you will fall in love with a Graptosedum ghosty or a Graptopetalum Paraguayense.
You can even get both of them if you can tell them apart. Choosing Graptosedum Ghosty and Graptopetalum Paraguayense can be difficult, as both plants often get mistaken for each other.
Despite the common mix-up, they are different and not even closely related plants. If you want to identify each of them easily, keep reading this post. We will discuss in detail the features of each plant and their distinctive differences.
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What is Graptosedum Ghosty?
This plant is a popular succulent species. This plant is famous for its lovely leaves that look like rosettes. The most notable thing about this plant’s foliage is the integration of green and purple shades on its leaves. This succulent plant descends from the Crassulaceae plant family.
One of the most appealing features of this plant is that it is a fast-growing succulent. Under the right growing conditions, the plant can get big. It can grow to be nearly one meter tall.
This plant thrives in both indoor and outdoor environments. But if you choose to grow it in your outdoor garden, you should remember that it is not a cold-hardy plant. So, it can’t tolerate harsh winters outdoors.
What is Graptopetalum Paraguayense?
Graptopetalum Paraguayense is commonly known as the ghost plant. Sometimes, you might find it sold under the name “mother of pearls.” It is another succulent from the same Crassulaceae family.
As the name suggests, this plant originally came from Paraguay. So, you can find it widely cultivated in Mexico and Central and South America. The ghost plant is also found in Australia.
The natural color of this plant’s leaves is whitish gray. This pale color might be the reason for its common ghost name. Under normal growth conditions, this plant will thrive, and its leaves will get bigger.
The plant blooms during spring, and its flowers look like small stars. Their color is usually white, with tiny reddish spots on top of them.
In addition to its beautiful evergreen foliage, this plant is cold-hardy. So, it can do a great job when grown outdoors during cold winters. This makes it different from various philodendrons and monstera varieties.
Differences between Graptosedum Ghosty and Graptopetalum Paraguayense?
Before deciding on Graptosedum ghosty and Graptopetalum Paraguayense or the other way around, you must go through their differences thoroughly.
It would be best if you did not think they are identical plants where one of them compensates for the other. Aside from their similar first names, they have different and sometimes opposite features.
1. Plant color
Both plants have leaves that look like rosettes. However, the color makes a huge difference between them. The leaves of the ghost plant, or Graptopetalum Paraguayense, are white or very light grey.
The leaves of Graptosedum ghosty reflect a noticeably different shade. Its leaves tend to be more on the purplish or bluish-green side.
2. Leaf size
Both plants have thick and fleshy leaves. However, the Graptosedum ghosty has thicker leaves. As for the dimensions, a grown Graptosedum ghosty leaf will reach around 30 cm (12 inches) tall and approximately 11 cm (4 inches) wide.
The leaves of the ghost plant are not as broad; they only reach 3 cm in width. Also, they are a bit shorter than Graptosedum ghosty leaves. They reach up to 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall.
3. Plant Hardiness
This particular point makes a huge difference between both plants. A graptopetalum paraguayense. It is a cold-hardy plant. So, it won’t mind the cold weather. This plant maintains its health and moderate growth rate during winter. Graptosedum ghosty, on the other hand, is not a cold-hardy plant. Cold weather will destroy this plant.
4. Stem features
The stems of a grown Graptopetalum Paraguayense plant are known to be lengthy. They grow to be about 30 cm tall and 1.5 cm wide. The stems of Graptosedum ghosty are also the same length as the ghost plant.
However, they are thicker and broader. A mature Graptosedum ghosty stem can be around 4.5 inches wide.
5. Light needs
Both plants require bright sunlight, although their specific needs can be different. The Graptopetalum Paraguayense tolerates poor light conditions compared to the Graptosedum ghosty plant.
The ghost plant does well with partial exposure, while the Graptosedum ghosty needs full exposure.
6. Leaf shape
When comparing Graptosedum Ghosty to Graptopetalum Paraguayense, you will notice another distinct difference. At a distance, the leaves might be hard to distinguish. However, when you get up close and personal with these plants, you will quickly notice their distinctive shapes.
The Graptosedum ghosty leaves look like a boat or canoe; they are oval. The surface of a Graptosedum ghosty plant’s leaves is flatter and more even than the ghost plant.
As for the ghost plant, the leaves are oblong with an indented tip. These leaves could remind you of the shape of spoons. The curved center of ghost plant leaves is like the letter V.
Graptosedum Ghosty vs Graptopetalum Paraguayense: are they the same?
No, Graptosedum ghosty and Graptopetalum Paraguayense are not the same plants. They do have a few similarities. However, the differences are way more than that.
Both plants are hybrids and evergreen perennial succulents. Also, they feature lovely foliage in the form of rosettes. But they have different common names, colors, and shapes.
The leaves of Graptosedum ghosty are greenish, while the leaves of Graptopetalum Paraguayense are whitish. The leaves and stems are also variable in size.
One of the major differences between ghosty and ghost plants is their cold tolerance. The Ghost plant, or Graptopetalum Paraguayense, is cold hardy, while Graptosedum ghosty can die in cold weather.
Graptosedum ghosty leaves look like a small canoe, while the leaves of Graptopetalum Paraguayense are more like spoons with curved V-shaped tips.
Also, the leaves of the former are oval, while those of the latter have oblong leaves. Also, the stems and leaves of Graptosedum ghosty are thicker than those of the ghost plant.
