Curio herreanus

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String of watermelons
Fleshy leaves of Curio herreanus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Curio
Species:
C. herreanus
Binomial name
Curio herreanus
(Dinter) P.V.Heath[1][2]
Synonyms[1]

Kleinia herreana (Dinter) Merxm. (1955)
Senecio herreanus Dinter (1932)
Kleinia herreana Dinter (1930)

Curio herreanus, syn. Senecio herreanus, which is also known as string of watermelons, string of beads, gooseberry plant and string of raindrops, is a flowering succulent plant in the daisy family Asteraceae that is native to Namibia.[1] It is grown as an ornamental plant and is very similar in appearance to 'string of pearls', where the names may be conflated.[3]

Description[edit]

Features 30 cm (12 in) long trailing stems and subglobose leaves that are dark green with purple stripes. It looks similar to string of pearls and string of tears, but has larger and longer leaves that, in a bright setting, would deepen the purple tones.

Flowers are small with anthers that sit outside the small tube created by the petals, typical of Curio species.[4]

Leaf closeup
Flower closeup

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Curio herreanus (Dinter) P.V.Heath". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Curio herreanus (Dinter) P. V. Heath". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDGW – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
  4. ^ Curio herreanus by World of Succulents