Senecio HOLLERMAYERI

Senecio HOLLERMAYERI - Hollermayer's ragwort, Senecio hollermayeri.

Senecio is one of the most extraordinary genera of remarkable plants from the extensive Asteraceae (Compositae) family, varieties of which include more than 3,000 diverse specimens. Perennial, less commonly annual herbaceous plants, subshrubs, shrubs, or small trees, they are widely distributed in various climatic zones across all regions of the globe. Many species of this plant look completely dissimilar to one another, but nevertheless belong to the same family and are "blood relatives".

Their shoots are glabrous or pubescent. The leaves are also very diverse in shape - from elliptical to obovate, entire and dissected, lobed, pinnately lobed, alternate. Inflorescences are flower heads (capitula), from small to large, solitary or several in corymbs or panicles. Many representatives of this huge genus are known in cultivation, grown in open and protected ground as ornamental plants, cultivated for cut flowers, as potted plants, and also used in bouquet arrangements.

Senecio hollermayeri is a low, mat-forming perennial plant native to Chile, with thick needle-like bluish-green leaves and yellow flowers on stems. It is an attractive, easily grown groundcover for arid regions with a temperate climate.

Seeds are sown on the surface of a cactus mix diluted halfway with sand. They are moistened from a spray bottle, covered with film, and germinated in the light, but not in the sun, at a temperature of 20-23 °C (68-73 °F). Seedlings require ventilation. Overwatering and drying out of the sowings must be avoided. Seedlings are pricked out in the cotyledon stage, individually into 5 cm (2 in) pots.

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Senecio prefers a well-lit location with some direct sunlight. A placement on an eastern or western window is well suited. During the spring-summer period, it prefers a temperature of 22-26 °C (72-79 °F); from autumn, the temperature can be gradually reduced, and in winter the plant can be kept at 12-15 °C (54-59 °F), with the temperature not dropping below 7 °C (45 °F). It tolerates dry apartment air well and does not require additional humidification.

During the growing season, Senecio is watered moderately with soft, settled water a day or two after the top layer of substrate dries out. From autumn, watering is reduced; in winter, it is watered extremely rarely or not at all. Overwatering is very dangerous. It is fertilized from March to August with fertilizer for succulents twice a month. The soil mixture should be nutritious, loose, with a neutral pH. A mixture of leaf mold and sand in a 2:1 ratio is suitable. Ready-made substrates for cacti or succulents are also suitable. Young plants are repotted annually in spring, adult plants - after 2-3 years. Senecios are propagated by cuttings, layering, and seeds.