Kleinia pendula | ex. Senecio pendulus. Geometrid moth caterpillar
€26,50
🌱 Morphology
A curious creeping and trailing succulent, relatively slow-growing, which forms clumps up to 50 cm in diameter. Its stems are cylindrical, fleshy, jointed, and brittle, about 1–2 cm in diameter and 6–30 cm in length, capable of crawling along the substrate, rooting at the nodes, and re-emerging to form a characteristic meandering pattern. The epidermis is grayish-green or bronzed-green, with whitish patterns and purple spots that intensify with light. The tiny, scale-like leaves are ephemeral and, upon drying, remain as small thorn-like structures.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is distributed throughout Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Yemen, and the Arabian Peninsula, generally between 800 and 1250 m in altitude. It inhabits dry areas and scrublands, but also places where there is some atmospheric humidity, especially in areas influenced by the sea.
Family Asteraceae · Subfamily Asteroideae · Tribe Senecioneae
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 10a
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to 0 ºC for brief periods, but it is not suitable for frost. In cultivation, it is recommended to protect it from cold humidity and to keep the substrate practically dry during cold spells.
☀️ Lighting
It requires high light levels and appreciates gentle sun or progressive direct sun, always with good ventilation. Intense lighting promotes stem compaction and enhances its purple tones. A PAR radiation of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ (DLI) is recommended, avoiding sudden changes from shade to intense sun.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Summer dormancy. Growth mainly in autumn-winter. It is recommended to water when the substrate is completely dry, allowing the water to moisten it deeply and then allowing it to dry out completely. Excess moisture, especially at low temperatures, promotes stem rot.
🌸 Flowering
It produces intense orange-red terminal capitula, very striking against the green stems. The flowers appear on erect scapes up to about 20 cm and lack ray florets, being formed mainly by disc florets. It can bloom for a large part of the year; in cultivation, spring and autumn are especially noted. There is no reliable data on the age of the first flowering.
🌿 Nutrition
During active growth, Desert CHOICE® Succulents is recommended, especially for its contribution of potassium and assimilable calcium. Potassium promotes water regulation and tissue resistance to stress, while assimilable calcium helps maintain firm and resistant stems.
🪴 Pot
14x14 cm black gourmet pot
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot with substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
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