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Senecio anteuphorbium (Swizzle Sticks) - A summer dormant deciduous shrub that has a generally upright growth habit to 3 to 5 feet tall with long arching pale gray green segmented round stems striated with darker longitudinal lines and small gray-green lanceolate leaves that lie appressed along the stems near the branch tips. In fall appear the fragrant rayless flowers that have white disk flowers with yellow stigmas and anthers. Although not particularly showy in bloom the flowers lightly sweet fragrance is a pleasant surprise given the usually fetid smelling flowers of other succulent Senecio species.
Plant in full sun to light shade and give little to no irrigation but with occasional summer irrigation will hold the leaves on the stems which otherwise fall off. Though often listed for frost free gardens this plant has proven stem hardy to 25° F during our January 2007 freeze. Makes an interesting and wild plant in the garden or in a large pot. Trim out low horizontal stems as needed to show off the more upright ones.
This plant comes from North and Northeast Africa from Morocco to the Arabian Peninsula. In the 1928 "Standard Cyclopedia of American Horticulture" by L.H Bailey this plant is described as being one of the earliest of the "Cape plants" to be cultivated in Europe, with plantings dated around 1570, and that the name "anteuphorbium", or Ante-euphorbium as it was commonly called, was in reference to its being "a reputed antidote against the acrid poison of the Cape Euphorbia [E. officinarum]". Gordon Rowley in “Succulent Compositae” notes that he could “find no scientific evidence to support its supposed beneficial properties. Although this plant did not come from the Cape region, its early cultivation and derivation of the name is interesting.
This plant is often listed under the name Kleinia antheuphorbium and The Global Compositae Checklist lists Kleinia anteuphorbiumand as its correct current name. We use Senecio here following G.D. Rowley's treatment combining Kleinia and Notonia into Senecio as published in the "Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plant: Dicotyledons" by Urs Eggli, Springer 2002 so that we don't confuse our staff and customers with this name change. We have grown this great succulent plant since 2007 and thank past employee Paul Hallam for sharing it with us in 2005.
The information about Senecio anteuphorbium 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. |
