Hens and chicks plants. Succulent plants known as hens and chicks" (Sempervivum sp. ). These plants are hardy evergreens consisting of a a mother plant (known as the hen) off which grows many leaves (chicks). The leaves have an elliptical shape and curve around each other to form a rosette. Succulents are plants that store water in swollen tissues and survive in desert regions. Plants from the Sempervivum genus are typical succulents in that are very drought-tolerant and live for a long time. Photographed in British Columbia, Canada."