Plant in full sun in well-drained soil. Requires little water. Hardy to around 20° F. This plant is a great small-scale groundcover and while similar to the more common Senecio mandraliscae, it grows a bit tidier and lower, has smaller leaves and is far less vigorous.

This plant comes from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and was first introduced into cultivation in 1710. The name Senecio comes from the Latin word 'senex' meaning "old" or "old man" in reference to its downy head of seeds and the specific epithet means "creeping".

Senecio serpens is much smaller and slower growing than the similarly colored and far more vigorous Senecio mandraliscae. Recent treatment of this plant in the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew databases has the current name of this plant as Curio repens, but we continue to list this plant that we have grown since 1989 under its older more commonly used name for convenience and to avoid confusing our customers and staff. 

The information about Senecio serpens displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.