String of Pearls

My string of pearls plant is growing nicely so I must be doing something right.

To confirm that, I thought I’d look up some information about it and in doing so, I have discovered the most amazing, unusual thing about it.

It’s in the daisy family, Asteraceae.

I wouldn’t have guessed that from looking at it, which just proves once again, never judge a plant…

I also discovered that the taxonomists decided to move it from the genus Senecio to the genus Curio so now it is Curio rowleyanus instead of Senecio rowleyanus. And at one time it might have been briefly in the genus Kleinia, but don’t quote me on that.

If you go looking for one to buy, it is likely still labeled as Senecio rowleyanus.

I also learned that it is native to South Africa where it forms mats wherever it grows because it obviously doesn’t grow in a pot like a houseplant but on the ground where it roots every so often.

I put mine in a pot on the edge of the wire shelves I use for seed starting so the strings of pearls are hanging down through the shelving. It’s going to be tricky to move it when I need those shelves for seeds.

But I will remember that I can probably root every little string of pearls that breaks off. I could soon have more strings of pearls than the royal family! By the way, did you know that pearls are the oldest known gemstones and the only one created by a living creature, the oyster? I wonder what the oldest known houseplant is/was?

Moving on…

Winter is a time of dormancy for string of pearls, as it is for many houseplants. So I don’t water them as much or fertilize them during the wintertime. They also prefer cooler temps during the winter. Well, I suppose the sunroom is a few degrees cooler than the rest of the house…

Anyway, I’m finding string of pearls to be an easy houseplant. And in that big family of daisies, Asteraceae!