Buying seeds on the interwebs is an exercise in faith (a) that the seed is what it is purported to be, and (b) that it will be fresh and germinate. Reputation is everything. You still won't know for years in many cases what you actually have. In many cases there are hints that a seller does not know what they have (eg. if they are also selling seed for named hybrids, which do not usually grow true from seed, or have misidentified plants they are selling).
There are sufficient succulents around here that seeds are easier to come by. Here are some native seedlings. The Dudleyas in the fifth picture make a very small (dust-like) seed.
A couple other Ferocacti.
And a few aloes. First one a hybrid from seed, second one its offspring with a sibling.
The biggest aloes that I've grown from seed are several years old now and starting to look like trees (because, well, that's what they are).
For the curious, here is a story of sex and inheritance.
The thread "Untitled" in
Photo of Echeveria (Echeveria runyonii)
