Senecio barbertonicus explained

Senecio barbertonicus, the Barberton groundsel[1] or succulent bush senecio,[2] is an evergreen succulent shrub of the family Asteraceae and genus Senecio, native to Southern Africa, named after one of its native localities Barberton and is now also being cultivated elsewhere for its drought resistance, clusters of sweetly scented,[2] golden-yellow, tufted flower heads in winter and attractiveness to butterflies,[1] the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) in particular.[3]

Description

A succulent bush growing over 6feet tall and wide with a fleshy trunk, light green, cylindrical, finger-like leaves 2to in length and NaNto in diameter, densely packed around the stem and curved at the base to lie parallel to the stem and pointing upwards.[4]

The fragrant yellow flowers, NaNinches wide and 3inches long, bloom July through September,[2] are terminal and produce seeds with a dense tuft of bristles.

Senecio barbertonicus is hardy to at least 25°F.[3]

Distribution

Senecio barbertonicus grows predominantly in rocky grassland and bushveld in Southern Africa in areas ranging from Eswatini and Mozambique, to Eastern parts of Zimbabwe and South Africa[2] at elevations between 110and.[5]

It is locally common in protected areas in eastern, central, and southwestern Eswatini[6] in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North-West.[5]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SHRUBS . 2008-02-27 . The Friends of U.C. Riverside Botanic Gardens . University of California, Riverside, Botanic Gardens . 2007-10-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060909155116/http://www.gardens.ucr.edu/events/shrubsFall.html . September 9, 2006 .
  2. Book: Carruthers , Vincent . The Wildlife of Southern Africa: A Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of the Region . 2005 . 2008-02-27 . 2005 . Struik . 1-86872-451-4 . 310 pages . Wild Flowers . https://books.google.com/books?id=QygFIjP9jYUC&pg=PT248.
  3. Web site: Senecio barbertonicus - Succulent Bush Senecio . 2008-02-27 . San Marcos Growers Web Site.
  4. Web site: Senecio barbertonicus Klatt . 2008-02-27 . Swaziland's Flora Database . South African National Botanical Institute (PRECIS database) and the Swaziland National Herbarium .
  5. Web site: Senecio barbertonicus Klatt . https://archive.today/20130116043122/http://www.ville-ge.ch/cjb/bd/africa/details.php?langue=an&id=98011 . dead . 2013-01-16 . 2008-02-27 . African Flowering Plants Database . Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
  6. Web site: SABONET Tree Atlas Report No. 38 . 2008-02-27 . The Southern African Botanical Diversity Network . Swaziland Tree Atlas . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081121021526/http://www.sabonet.org.za/downloads/35_swaziland_tree_atlas/b.swazi.aster-celastra.pdf . 2008-11-21.

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