 |
A species of Senecio from the mountains of South Africa. I haven't had it for long, but I rather like it.
I expected it to be a lover of dry sunny conditions but have since seen it growing happily in moist shade at Rosemoor
so perhaps it will survive here. I learnt fairly rapidly that it needed to be planted in full sun, ideally in the greenhouse, and propagated frequently to keep it young. Plants of the World online says: "The native range of this species is Zimbabwe to S. Africa." I bought it from Derry Watkins and should have taken more notice of her label, which said: "Little bright purple daisies held well above narrow shiny leaves in mid-summer. Hardy perennial, likes sun and drainage. 24". " The Flora of Zimbabwe says: "Erect perennial herb, up to 75 cm. Leaves in a basal rosette, narrowly elliptic, up to 10 cm long, clasping the stem; margin coarsely toothed. Flowerheads white to purple, ray-florets absent. In moist grassland, seasonally flooded areas and near vleis and marshes. Note: Although this species is included in the Checklist of Zimbabwean Vascular Plants (Mapaura & Timberlake, 2004), its distribution appears to be unknown. No specimens of this species were found at the National Herbarium (SRGH) and its status as a Zimbabwean species is doubtful and needs further investigation." |
|
| 28th August 2011 | ||
