Description

Curio ficoides, previously known as Senecio ficoides, also known as skyscraper Senecio and Mount Everest Senecio, is a species of succulent plant, in the genus Curio (Asteraceae), indigenous to South Africa.

A succulent, spreading shrub, it reaches over 1 meter in height. The brittle, succulent branches lose their leaves lower down. The leaves are blue-green to blue grey, pruinose, succulent, erect, tapering and flattened laterally, with translucent lines down both sides. The flower capitula have no ray florets, and appear on a terminal, branching inflorescence.

Relatives of Curio ficoides (the other “blue chalk-sticks” plants)

This is a polyploid species (2n=100). However, its closest relatives are Curio talinoides, Curio crassulifolius, Curio repens, Curio repens, Curio radicans, Curio herreanus, and Curio hallianus, which have a variable number of chromosomes.

It is easily confused with Curio talinoides, which has a similar growth habit. However, the leaves of Curio talinoides are rounded-cylindrical in cross section. In contrast, the leaves of Curio ficoides are usually somewhat knife-like, flattened laterally.

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Curio ficoides”, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.