''Curio repens'', syn. ''Senecio serpens'', is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

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 ...

'' in the

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 ...

family. A succulent

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

province of

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 count ...

, it is typically found growing from crevices in rocky

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

slopes. Commonly named blue chalksticks, it is used as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

Description

It is a semi-trailing, low-growing dwarf shrub that forms a dense mat that reaches only about 20 cm in height and features silvery-blueish, finger-like fleshy leaves. It produces small and round, pompom-like flowers that may superficially resemble a

virus A virus is a wikt:submicroscopic, submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and ...

. The flowers appear as off-white from distance, but would have yellow and pink tinges on the

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

up-close. Flowering season is usually between spring and autumn. It was first formally described as ''Cacalia repens'' by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...

in 1767. It should be distinguished from '' Curio talinoides'' by its shorter, broader and often boat-shaped leaves.Curio talinoides (DC.) P.V.Heath
by PlantZAfrica.com

Cultivation

Drought tolerant, the plant is used as a

ground cover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and th ...

, border plant or in a

rock garden A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small ...

. It is grown in

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a soil texture, textur ...

y, dry to slightly moist soils in sun or some partial shade. It is easily propagated by cuttings. There is a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

of this and '' Curio talinoides'' that is known as 'Trident Blue'.

Gallery

File:Senecio serpens 02.jpg, In a rock garden File:Senecio serpens 03.jpg, Mass growing File:Senecio serpens 04.jpg, Close up File:Senecio serpens 06.jpg, Leaf close up File:Senecio serpens - South Africa groundcover 5.JPG, Mat formation File:Senecio serpens 3c.JPG, Flower up-close

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q56646846, from2=Q7450425

repens ''Eprius'' is a genus of skipper butterflies in the family Hesperiidae. Species *''Eprius repens'' Evans, 1955 *''Eprius repta'' Evans, 1955 *''Eprius veleda ''Eprius'' is a genus of skipper butterflies in the family Hesperiidae. Species ...

Flora of Southern Africa Garden plants of Southern Africa Drought-tolerant plants