Houseplant Ragwort: description and care

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The Russian generic name of the flower ragwort is explained by the external similarity of this culture with watercress. In the West, this plant is called senecio – from the Latin word for “old” or “bald”. Indeed, after the seeds ripen, the baskets remain empty for a long time. In nature, senecio grows everywhere – from the tropics to the Arctic. As a houseplant, the ragwort is also very widespread.

Description of the types of bastard

The aster family (Asteraceae), or Compositae, is the largest among the dicots. It includes about 20 thousand species and several genera with succulent species.

The godson, or senecio (Senecio) is the most famous genus of the family. In this huge genus (more than a thousand species) there are several succulent plants – stem and leaf, herbaceous, shrubby, woody.

As you can see in the photo, ragwort plants are very diverse – some look like sedums, others look like Kalanchoe, others look like cereuses, and there are species that resemble gooseberry branches with fruits (their spherical leaves look like this):

Below you can find a description of the types of ragwort popular in home floriculture.

A fairly well-known type of ragwort is S. agticulatus (articulatus) . Its fleshy, silvery-bluish stems reach a height of 60 cm and consist of individual segments, each up to 15 cm in length. Strongly dissected dark green leaves up to 8 cm long sit on growing segments.

Pay attention to the photo of this species of ragwort – the inflorescences that appear in summer are only about 1 cm in diameter, they are yellow in color:

The ‘Variegatus’ form has pinkish leaves.

Famous S. rowleyanus (rowleyanus) with long, thin creeping or hanging shoots and spherical leaves 1 cm in diameter, resembling green berries, inflorescences are small (also about 1 cm), white.

S. radicans (radicans) is also grown as an ampelous plant, having fleshy oval leaves with a dark longitudinal stripe in the middle.

The cultivated species S. stapeliformis (stapeliformis) now belongs to the small genus Kleinio (kleinia). This plant, which is equally similar to a slipway and a cactus, reaches a height of 20-30 cm and is a bush branching at the base with thin ribbed shoots.

The leaves of Senecio articulatus that dry out soon reach only 5 mm in length. Inflorescences of orange and red tones characteristic of the family appear in summer on long peduncles.

Here are photos of the ragwort flower of various types:

Caring for a ragwort flower at home

Senecio is not difficult to grow, these plants do not have any special care requirements. When caring for the ragwort in winter at home, these plants, like most other succulents, should be cool (not lower than 7-10 ° C), with careful watering. Easily propagated by leaf and stem cuttings or sowing.

Some species can be used as ampelous plants. On the other hand, senecio and related succulents from the Compositae do not particularly stand out in the mass of succulent plants, and it is difficult to indicate the reasons why they could be preferred when choosing succulents for a collection or plant composition.

If the Italian Borgias and Medicis knew about the properties of the senecio, the number of their victims could increase markedly.

It turns out that representatives of this genus are among the most dangerous poisonous plants, but not because their poison is very strong, but because it acts very secretly. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that the suggestion arose that the substances contained in these plants could be life-threatening.

Obviously, all the numerous representatives of the genus, including succulents, contain poison, at least it was found in all the species studied in this regard (and there are about 100 of them). Moreover, it is in succulents that the highest concentration of poisons is found in especially dangerous combinations. Once in the body, these poisons do not cause rapid and noticeable changes, but irreversibly change the biochemical processes, primarily in the liver, which leads to the gradual development of cirrhosis and cancer. Lethal and carcinogenic doses for humans are unknown, but for rats, 35-85 mg of the active substance per 1 kg of body weight is fatal. It is essential that all parts of plants are poisonous – both stems, and leaves, and fruits, and seeds.

Of course, senecios are not among the appetizing plants, but the berry-like leaves of some and the juicy, cucumber-like pulp of others may well tempt someone, especially children, to taste them. And therefore, rejoicing in communication with these flowers, we must not forget about caution!

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Wednesday, November 8, 2023