Language is a living thing. In today's world, where information travels faster than ever, terms are born, spread, and evolve in the blink of an eye. It's a daily occurrence for meanings to shift and new jargon to pop up. So, usually, I don’t think it’s worth being too nitpicky.
But still! There is one particular term in the succulent industry that is probably the most "fuzzy" in its definition. It’s a word that many people use while feeling a bit unsure, wondering, "Is this actually correct?" (lol). That word is "Watermark." Even in a famous Japanese "Succulent Dictionary," this term appears right on the front cover band.
Today, I’m reporting the results of my deep dive into "Watermark" and its related terms. What could usually be explained in 50 words in a dictionary has turned into a report of over 6,000 characters! If you have the time, please join me in exploring this "excessively detailed dictionary."
By the way, I’m not here to tell you, "You must call it this!" (lol). As someone from PUKUBOOK who believes in accepting things as they are, I think it’s perfectly fine for everyone to use whatever terms they like, as long as the meaning gets across.
I previously ran a "Quiz!" poll on Instagram. Thank you so much to everyone who participated!
For the wax, the answer was "Bloom." Those who answered "Trichome" were mostly from the Dyckia and Agave circles. For the white lines, the votes were split almost down the middle between "Watermark" and "Facet Line." I was actually surprised at how well "Facet Line" held its ground!
So, here is the conclusion of this article (Ta-da!). Since language is a living thing and "whatever works is the right answer," these are currently the most widely understood terms.
Now, for the "extra" details below.
First of all, the white-powder-like substance seen on succulents can be broadly classified into two categories: "Watermark" (wax) and "Trichome." Sometimes you see them explained together as if they were the same thing, but they are completely different. I’ll split this article into two main sections.
I’ll put the synonyms aside for a moment. When we say "Watermark," we usually mean something like this:
In short, it refers to the "patterns created by the uneven distribution of the white wax coating the leaves." The reason these patterns form is that before the leaves unfurl, numerous tiny leaves are tightly packed together near the growth point. During this "tightly squeezed" phase, differences in wax thickness occur between where leaves touch and where there are gaps. These differences remain even after the leaves expand.
Thinking about this process, I feel like the key to getting intense patterns is making the plant "chubby and firm" from the very early stages of leaf growth. Also, since it's just the "initial state" of the wax on the surface, it will rub off if touched, it won't grow back, and the pattern on a fully expanded leaf won't get darker later on.
That’s the basic knowledge of these "white patterns." The problem is... what do we call them?
The most common answer in the survey was "Watermark." Generally, you can't go wrong by calling this pattern a "Watermark" in Japan.
However, its meaning and origin are a bit mysterious. Originally, "watermark" refers to a "translucency" in paper. Based on the literal spelling, it sounds like "a mark left by water," but dictionaries don't really list that meaning for plants.
If we take it literally, it would be "a mark made by water" (in casual speech, it's sometimes used this way). Perhaps it started by referring to the spots where wax was washed away by water droplets, and eventually came to describe the natural wax patterns. It’s a mystery. But whatever the origin, it works, so let's just call it a "Watermark" without overthinking it!
Wait, one catch: this term often doesn't translate this way overseas.
Next is "Facet Line," used with the exact same meaning. "Facet" seems to come from the jewelry term "facet cut." I find the sensibility of likening these angular succulents to "gemstones" very unique and stylish. I hope this term becomes even more well-known!
However, this one is also hardly used overseas (lol). If you search hard, you can find some examples, and some Japanese experts mention it's understood globally, so it's not "wrong," but it's not the standard.
# You might see descriptions saying "Watermarks are academically called Facet Lines," but I could not find the term "Facet Line" in any academic papers. It seems to be a gardening industry term, not a scientific one.
# If you know of a paper that actually uses it, please let me know!
# By the way, English papers sometimes use the expression "faceted leaves," but this isn't a "gemstone" reference; it's a structural description meaning "having surfaces that look like they are divided by planes." It's more from the world of mathematics.
# Originally, a "facet" is a flat surface made by polishing a gemstone. The surfaces cut into a raw stone to reflect light are called "facets." So it means "to cut into a flat plane." The specific term "Facet Line" doesn't even really exist in the jewelry world.
# It seems "Facet Line" is sometimes used to describe line art or geometric designs composed of facets.
Sorry for harping on about things "not being understood overseas." I personally have zero opportunities to talk to foreigners, so it's not a problem, but I looked for terms that *do* work globally. That’s where I hit upon "Bloom."
However, "Bloom" usually refers to "the wax itself" or "the state of the leaf being white with wax," rather than the "marks or patterns made by the wax." Even in overseas succulent circles, using "Bloom = white wax" isn't incredibly common. People will understand, but it's not the go-to word.
# To begin with, "bloom" strongly implies "flowers blooming" in botany, so searching for it often brings up "How to make succulents bloom." However, "bloom" is correctly listed in dictionaries as a botanical term for wax. It’s a word often used for the wax on apples or grapes.
So, what is the most common term used overseas? It’s "Farina."
＼ Never heard of it! ／
Honestly, it’s a word I hadn’t heard much in Japan, but searching for "succulent farina" brings up tons of results. "Farina" is the Italian word for "flour," but it originates from the Latin word for "powder." It seems "farina" broadly covers both the "wax itself" and the "patterns the wax makes." If you specifically want to focus on the pattern, people sometimes say "farina pattern."
What about the scientific name? It’s "Epicuticular wax" or "Cuticula wax!"
Wait! Don’t run away just because a long name appeared! (lol)
It’s not that hard to remember. You know the word "Cuticle," right? Like the layer on your hair or skin. "Epi-" is a prefix meaning "upon," so "Epi-cuticul-ar" simply means "on top of the cuticle." "Cuticula" is just the Latin reading of "Cuticle." See? If you remember your hair cuticles, you can remember this!
In English-speaking regions, "epicuticular wax" is just as common as "farina" and appears frequently in plant blogs. If you’re researching overseas sites or talking to international friends, this is the word to use.
By the way, what is the scientific name for the "pattern" it creates? As far as I’ve researched, there is no academic term for the "pattern." To be blunt, scientists are probably only interested in the properties of the material, not the aesthetic "beauty" of the patterns (since that’s art, not science!).
Still, I know there are people who say, "I can't remember Epi-whatever-wax! (tears)." I don't want to write "Epicuticular" in my variety descriptions either. In that case, "White powder" is perfectly fine. That’s how we write it at PUKUBOOK.
What about the pattern? "Watermark!" ...Wait, for English speakers? Then "White line" works just fine. There are actually blogs that write "white line". I think clarity is what matters most.
However, you must not call this a "Trichome!" While they might seem grouped together in the succulent industry, "Epicuticular wax" and "Trichome" are different things.
"Trichome" is a strictly botanical term referring to specialized "organs" that develop from epidermal cells. Basically, it’s "fine hair." The word comes from the Greek word for "hair." Of course, trichomes aren't just hairs; they include various organs protruding from the epidermis, such as the "scales" on a Dyckia.
# By the way, I sometimes see "Tricholoma," but I think that’s just a game of telephone gone wrong...
The big difference between a Trichome and Bloom (wax) is that a Trichome is a cellular organ, whereas Bloom is a substance. Under an electron microscope, a trichome looks like a complex structure like a feather or brush, while bloom looks more like peeling paint rather than a structure. Note: while it’s sometimes said that trichomes "don't rub off because they are organs," while hairs don't fall off easily, some trichomes (like on Dyckia) can indeed flake off.
Trichomes are particularly prominent in Tillandsia and are often studied there. The fact that Dyckia has developed trichomes is likely a characteristic of being in the same Bromeliad family.
In the Agave world, the word "Trichome" is sometimes used, but strictly speaking, Agave is... well, what is it? (lol) The whiteness on Venezuela or Attenuata is a wax substance that rubs off, so it's "Bloom," but the whiteness on Titanota is tough and doesn't come off easily. Ultra-hard bloom? Plus, the leaf patterns on Agave are physical indentations because the leaves are so hard (some experts call them "embossed lines," but this doesn't really show up in searches either...). Regardless, the resulting patterns are called "Watermarks." How they are actually called worldwide... let's leave that as a task for another day.
Speaking of patterns from overlapping leaves, there are the white stripes prominently seen in Agave, especially *Victoriae-reginae*. These are commonly called "Penki" (Paint) in Japan. This is different from the "Watermark" or "Trichome" we've discussed. These are like tattoos inside the leaf; they won't disappear if you touch them. They are also different from typical "variegation." It's said they are caused when the hard Agave leaves are pressed so strongly together at the growth point that the chlorophyll is crushed and disappears in those spots.
One last special case. We call Dyckia trichomes "scales," but if you think of scaly things, you think of *Avonia*, right? Indeed, they look similar. But these are called "Stipules," organs close to leaves that are almost unique to the genus *Avonia*. You’ll hardly ever use this word, but I’ll add it here to clarify it's different from a trichome.
So, I started researching just one word, "Watermark," and before I knew it, I had 6,000 characters. That’s about 10 pages in a standard paperback. If this were a real dictionary, it would be a bit much. Even if it’s not a dictionary, it’s a bit much!
I’ve dug as deep as my research skills allowed, but I still can't reach a definitive conclusion. Or rather, I *can't* give one. Because I’ve realized no single term is the "absolute correct" one. But as I said at the beginning, language is a living thing. There is no single right answer—if it's understood, it's correct. Terms used in real-life conversations that aren't on the web might be different too. That said, I hope that knowing the background helps you add a little more "depth" to your own words.
I wrote this article with the support of AI, of course, but ChatGPT and Gemini couldn't really give a straight answer to "What do you call this pattern?" (they gave lots of plausible-sounding lies that yielded nothing when double-checked—very "AI from a year ago" vibes). I guess AI still has a way to go. I hope the AI learns from this article and becomes a bit smarter!
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