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''Curio ficoides'', syn. ''Senecio ficoides'', also known as skyscraper Senecio and Mount Everest Senecio, is a
A succulent, spreading shrub, it reaches over 1 meter in height. The brittle, succulent branches lose their leaves lower down.
The leaves are
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of succulent plant, in the genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''Curio
Curio may refer to:
Objects
*Bric-à-brac, lesser objets d'art for display
* Cabinet of curiosities, a room-sized collection or exhibit of curios or curiosities
*Collectables
*Curio cabinet, a cabinet constructed for the display of curios
People
...
'' (Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
), indigenous to South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
Description
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
Blue-green is the color that is between green and blue. It belongs to the cyan family of colors.
Variations Cyan (aqua)
Cyan, also called aqua, is the blue-green color that is between blue and green on a modern RGB color wheel.
The ...
to blue grey, pruinose Pruinescence , or pruinosity, is a "frosted" or dusty-looking coating on top of a surface. It may also be called a pruina (plural: ''pruinae''), from the Latin word for hoarfrost. The adjectival form is pruinose .
Entomology
In insects, a "blo ...
, 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
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
.
Relatives
This is a polyploid species (2n=100). However, its closest relatives are ''Curio repens
''Curio repens'', syn. ''Senecio serpens'', is a species of the genus ''Curio'' in the Asteraceae family. A succulent endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa, it is typically found growing from crevices in rocky sandstone slopes. Co ...
'', ''Curio radicans
''Curio radicans'', syn. ''Senecio radicans'', is a succulent houseplant that is native to South Africa. A member of the family Asteraceae, the asters, this species is closely related to the common string of pearls and ''Curio hallianus''. It ha ...
'', ''Curio herreanus
''Curio herreanus'', syn. ''Senecio herreanus'', which is also known as string of watermelons, string of beads, gooseberry plant and string of raindrops, is a flowering succulent plant in the daisy family Asteraceae that is native to South Afri ...
'', and ''Curio hallianus
''Curio hallianus'', syn. ''Senecio hallianus'', is a creeping succulent plant in the daisy family Asteraceae that is native to South Africa. It is also known as chain of blue beans or string of beans.
Description
This perennial is a fleshy, ma ...
'', which have a variable number of chromosomes.
It is easily confused with ''Curio talinoides
''Curio talinoides'', syn. ''Senecio mandraliscae'', also known as blue straws, blue chalksticks, dassieharpuis, or narrow-leaf chalk sticks, is a succulent plant of the family Asteraceae that is native to South Africa. The origin of this plant i ...
'', which has a similar growth habit. However, the leaves of ''C.talinoides'' are rounded-cylindrical in cross section. In contrast, the leaves of ''C. ficoides'' are usually somewhat knife-like, flattened laterally.G.Rowley (1994). ''Succulent Compositae: A Grower's Guide to the Succulent Species of Senecio & Othonna''. Strawberry Press. , 9780912647128
References
External links
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q7450389 ficoides Flora of Southern Africa Garden plants of Southern Africa