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Senecio mandraliscae |
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| | First year |
| Synonym(s) |
Kleinia mandraliscae |
| Common name |
blue chalk sticks |
| Family |
asteraceae |
| Life cycle |
tender perennial (Z9-11)   |
| Flowers |
white (spring) |
| Size |
12" |
| Light |
sun |
| Cultural notes |
heat and drought tolerant |
An unusual representative of the daisy family, this succulent from South Africa is grown for its striking blue foliage of upright curvy fingers. It can fill a three-foot area as a groundcover, and is often used in containers or along walkways. Judicious pruning can keep the plant looking its best. We started with a tiny plantlet, full of potential, and were happy to see it steadily expand over the course of the next few years. It came through the freeze of January 2018 (24 hours of temperatures in the teens, with a helping of freezing rain for good measure) without any damage, so the zone 9 hardiness rating seemed conservative. The even more severe freeze of February 2021 (4 days dipping into the low to mid teens) was a bigger challenge: most of our plant was killed outright, but a healthy deposit of protective mulch resulted in one small piece coming back a few weeks later.
This species is definitely not grown for its flowers, which are unimpressive bordering on ugly (see photo below).
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| | Second year, early spring |
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| | Second year, autumn |
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| | Partial return after the '21 megafreeze |
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| | The flowers are nothing to write home about |
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In our garden, this plant grows in the following area: back fence border About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Senecio mandraliscae
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Last modified:
April 17, 2021
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