Senecio radicans
| Light | Bright, indirect light; a few hours of gentle sun encourages tighter growth |
|---|---|
| Water | Water thoroughly, then let the mix dry out; ease off in winter |
| Soil | Free-draining succulent mix with plenty of grit |
| Temperature | Keep above freezing; USDA zones 10–11 |
| Propagation | Stem cuttings (very easy); layering |
| Toxicity | Mildly toxic if eaten; sap can irritate skin — keep away from pets and children |
Senecio radicans is a fast-growing, trailing succulent from southern Africa, best known to hobbyists as string of bananas. Its slender stems are strung with plump, curved, glossy leaves shaped like tiny green bananas — or, to some eyes, fishhooks, hence the alternative name string of fishhooks. It is a close cousin of the better-known string of pearls and is grown in much the same way, though it is notably more vigorous and forgiving. Now often placed in the genus Curio as Curio radicans, it remains widely sold and discussed under its long-standing Senecio name.
Description
Senecio radicans produces long, thin, trailing or creeping stems that can reach a metre or more in a season under good conditions. Along these stems sit fleshy leaves up to about 2.5 cm long, curved into a banana or hook shape and coming to a soft point. Each leaf carries a faint translucent "window" line down its length, a feature shared with several other trailing Senecio species that helps light reach the inner leaf tissue.
Where stems touch soil they root readily, which is how the plant spreads into low mats in habitat and why cuttings are so effortless. Mature plants may flower in the cooler months, producing small brush-like blooms of white to pale cream with protruding stamens. The flowers are modest to look at but faintly scented.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to the dry regions of southern Africa, where it scrambles among rocks and low vegetation and creeps across the ground in the partial shade of larger shrubs. This trailing, mat-forming habit is an adaptation to hot, bright, seasonally dry conditions: the plant roots as it goes, conserves water in its swollen leaves, and shelters its roots beneath its own foliage and surrounding cover.
Cultivation
String of bananas is one of the easiest trailing succulents to keep, which makes it a popular choice for hanging pots and shelf edges where the stems can spill over. Give it bright light — an hour or two of gentle direct sun helps keep the leaves plump and the growth compact, while deep shade leads to sparse, stretched stems with widely spaced leaves.
Grow it in a free-draining succulent mix and water thoroughly, then allow the mix to dry out before watering again; the fleshy leaves store enough moisture to shrug off the occasional missed watering. Overwatering, especially in a heavy mix or a pot without drainage, is the main way growers lose this plant. Reduce watering in winter, when growth slows. It is not frost-hardy, so bring it in or keep it above freezing in cold climates. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
Propagation
Propagation could hardly be simpler. Lay a length of stem on the surface of a suitable mix and it will root from the nodes within a couple of weeks; alternatively, take a cutting, let the cut end callus for a day or two, and lay or shallowly bury it. Because the plant roots wherever stems touch soil, you can also pin trailing stems onto an adjacent pot to layer new plants while still attached to the parent. See Propagation — cuttings for a full walkthrough.
Common problems
- Rot — the usual result of overwatering or a slow-draining mix; stems go soft, translucent and mushy from the base.
- Etiolation — too little light produces long, bare stretches of stem with small, widely spaced leaves and a straggly look.
- Shrivelled leaves — persistent underwatering (or a pot-bound, rootless cutting) shows as thin, wrinkled leaves; a good soak usually plumps them back up.
- Pests — mealybugs (white fluff tucked among the leaves and nodes) and, less often, aphids on new growth and flower stalks. See Pests and diseases.
See also
- Senecio — the genus overview
- string of pearls — the closely related, rounder-leaved cousin
- Propagation — cuttings · Propagation — offsets · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting · Pests and diseases