Wikipedia

Senecio tamoides

Senecio tamoides, also known as Canary creeper,[3] is a climbing member of the genus Senecio of the family Asteraceae that is native to Southern Africa.[4] It is used as an ornamental plant for its showy yellow, daisy-like flowers in late autumn through to winter.[5][6] Other names for the plant include golden shower vine,[7] false grapevine,[8] and parlor ivy.[9]

Senecio tamoides
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Senecio
Species:
S. tamoides
Binomial name
Senecio tamoides
DC. (1838)[1][2]

Description

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Grapevine-like leaves

It is a fast-growing,[10] mostly evergreen, perennial climber with semi-succulent stems and leaves[6] that creeps along the ground or twines several meters into the trees to reach the sunlit canopy where it can flower.[4] It grows up to a height of 2 metres (6.6 ft) to 4 metres (13 ft) tall, though it can be as much as 10 metres (33 ft) tall in the right conditions.[10][6][11][12]

Stems and leaves

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Its stems are slender, 3 centimetres (1.2 in) to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in diameter, usually purplish, semi-succulent and hairless that have a clear and sticky exudate.[13]

Leaves are bright green, palmately lobed with purple venation, shaped like many ivy[12] with broad, oval and fleshy surfaces, 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long and 7 centimetres (2.8 in) wide, coarsely toothed edges, leaf stalks 2 centimetres (0.79 in) to 5 centimetres (2.0 in) long.[6]

Flowers

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Close up of flowers

Its inflorescence is many-headed,[6] bright yellow,[12] and the raceme grows to have a flat top. The flower heads are cylindrical, about 3 millimetres (0.12 in) in diameter; surrounded with a whorl of five to seven bracts, 6 millimetres (0.24 in) to 7 millimetres (0.28 in) long which are surrounded by two to four smaller bracts or bracteoles.[6] Flowers are cinnamon-scented and would appear from mid autumn to winter.[10][14] In New South Wales, it flowers throughout winter.[15][16]

Three to six ray florets; each ligule approximately 1 centimetre (0.39 in) long; ten to twelve disc florets, 12 millimetres (0.47 in) to 15 millimetres (0.59 in) long.[6] When cultivated in the gardens of the National Museums of Kenya, it has orange florets.[17]

Achenes about 2 millimetres (0.079 in) long, and not hairy; pappus 6 millimetres (0.24 in) to 7 millimetres (0.28 in) long.[6] It grows easily from stem cuttings.[12]

Distribution and habitat

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In its natural habitat

It is native to southern Africa where it occurs from coastal Eastern Cape in South Africa to eastern Zimbabwe, as well as in parts of the forests in KwaZulu-Natal and areas along the escarpment, including the bushveld savanna.[18][19] It grows along evergreen forest margins at altitudes of 300 metres (980 ft) to 1,900 metres (6,200 ft)[4] and in moist gullies.[6] The plant has been introduced to Southeast Brazil, Colombia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mauritius, Queensland and Réunion.[20]

Invasiveness

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In Australia, it is sparingly found in moist gullies in Sydney, the North Coast and South Coast of New South Wales, and southeast Queensland, after escaping from the garden as an ornamental plant due to its seeds being dispersed by wind and parts of its stems being spread in disposed garden waste.

It is a species of concern in south-eastern Queensland, where it was ranked in a list that contains 100 most invasive species in the region. As such, the plant is listed on a few local weed lists in south-eastern QLD – It is a pest plant in Redland Shire, an invasive plant in Gold Coast City, an unwelcome species in Burnett Shire, a significant non-declared pest plant in Maroochy Shire, and an unwanted species in Caboolture Shire.[21]

These reports, however, may have incorrectly applied the S. tamoides name to Senecio angulatus, since the two are often confused with each other.[22] Further, Atlas of Living Australia has misapplied S. tamoides for its D. odorata observations in Australia.[23]

Similar species

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In Australia, Senecio tamoides has been misapplied and is usually considered to be Senecio angulatus since the two species bear a resemblance, though S. tamoides (Canary creeper) has leaves that are lighter greened, more ivy or grapevine-like, less glossier and more toothed.[24] Moreover, Canary creeper has petals that are slightly more elongated, about 10 mm long, compared to those of S. angulatus, which are 6–9 mm long.[25]

Delairea odorata (formerly Senecio mikanioides), a related vine in the Senecioneae tribe, is also similar looking, but features small ear-shaped appendages at the base of the stalks of the leaves and flowers that lack obvious petals, whereas both S. angulatus and S. tamoides have daisy-like flowers with several petals. Unlike S. angulatus, which is more of a scrambler, S. tamoides and Delairea grow like typical vines where they intertwine and attach themselves on objects as they climb.

 
Leaf comparison of the Senecio vine species

Cultivation

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Potted houseplant

It is a fairly drought-tolerant, fast-growing garden plant that grows in well-drained soil towards a wall or fence, and may need some regular plant food for robust growth and abundant flowering. It needs moderate watering until it becomes established in sun to part shade areas.[18] Its long stems require support to climb, such as on a trellis or a pergola. It can also be allowed to naturally creep through other shrubs or by planting beside a tree, leaving it to ascend by itself. The plant's growing tips should receive full sunshine for the flowers to develop, though the base can tolerate full shade.[10]

Although naturally evergreen, it may be semi-deciduous in places that have frosty winters, where it will die back and recover again in spring. It can be pruned once in a while to maintain its spread in the garden. It can be grown from seed in spring, or from stem cuttings in summer.[10] In Sweden, it is known as Sommarmurgröna ('summer ivy'), a name that is also interchangeably used for Delairea odorata, due to the fact that it grows in summer and dies back to the ground in the cold winter.[26]

Medicinally, it has been traditionally used to treat flatulence and anthrax in cattle.[18] Pests include aphids, red spider mite and whitefly, and diseases include rust.[14]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Senecio tamoides". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  2. ^ Landcare Research. "Senecio angulatus L.f. Suppl. 369 (1781)". Flora of New Zealand: Taxa. Landcare Research Allan Herbarium and New Zealand Plant Names Database. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  3. ^ Hyde, Mark; Bart Wursten. "Senecio deltoideus Less". Flora of Zimbabwe. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  4. ^ a b c Hyde, Mark; Bart Wursten. "Senecio tamoides DC". Flora of Zimbabwe: Cultivated plants. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  5. ^ Senecio tamoides (Canary creeper) by Plantinfo
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i National Herbarium of New South Wales. "PlantNET Senecio tamoides DC". New South Wales FloraOnline. Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  7. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  8. ^ Murrell, Z.E (2010). Vascular Plant Taxonomy. Kendall Hunt Publishing Compant.
  9. ^ Senecio tamoides DC. Weeds of Australia. Identic Pty Ltd. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e Senecio tamoides DC. by Cheris Viljoen from PlantZAfrica.com
  11. ^ Senecio tamoides by Betty Wood, Plants of South Eastern New South Wales, Lucid Central
  12. ^ a b c d Pienaar, Kristo (2003). "Climbers". Gardening with Indigenous Plants: Easy to Grow Southern African Plants. Struik. pp. 96 pages. ISBN 1-86872-392-5. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  13. ^ F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Senecio tamoides". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  14. ^ a b Senecio tamoides (Canary creeper) by Shoot Gardening
  15. ^ Canary Creeper, Senecio tamoides DC. Collated by HerbiGuide. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  16. ^ *Senecio tamoides DC. eFlora, 5th Edition of the Flora of the Sydney Region. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Aluka. "Entry for SENECIO tamoides DC. [family COMPOSITAE]". African Plants. Ithaka Harbors, Inc. Archived from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  18. ^ a b c Senecio tamoides The Plant Library. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  19. ^ Viljoen, Cheris. "Senecio tamoides DC". PlantZAfrica.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  20. ^ Senecio tamoides DC. Useful plants of Colombia from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  21. ^ Senecio tamoides DC. by Weeds of Australia - Biosecurity Queensland Edition
  22. ^ Weeds of Australia (Biosecurity Queensland Edition). "Senecio angulatus L. f." Queensland Government. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  23. ^ Occurrence records of Senecio tamoides. Atlas of Living Australia.
  24. ^ Western Australian Herbarium (2007-09-11). "Senecio angulatus L.f." FloraBase. Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  25. ^ Senecio angulatus L. f. Environmental Weeds of Australia
  26. ^ Sommarmurgröna Blomsterlandet 2020
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