PlantFiles: Cape Ivy, German Ivy, Parlor Ivy
Senecio mikanioides

I've been wanting this plant for a LONG time, and I've finally tracked some down. I was extremely surprised to find out that this plant was a member of the SUNFLOWER family - no wonder it grows so rapidly. :)

I am not sure how it will perform, but I am going to use it as living wallpaper inside of my house.

Here in South West England it seems to be gaining a foothold and is an absolute menace. Its rank growth is exceptionally rapid and everything is smothered in no time at all. I first noticed it growing through scrub in coastal woodland about 15 years ago. Now it is moving inland and has even taken hold amongst native shrubs and trees in a lane behind my garden. I spent several days last year ripping it out to prevent an invasion, but this spring masses of new shoots have appeared from below soil level. It seems to run at and below soil level as well as climbing high into trees. It may have been a popular pot plant in cold, north European countries, but in mild winter regions, it is a serious menace.

California gardners are being asked by the California Invasive Plant Council to be on the lookout for this plant. It was sold by Bay Area nurseries recently and has been added to the California Noxious Weed List. In this climate it grows over other plants to form a solid mat, blocking the sun. It has been known to pull down trees by the sheer weight of it's rampant growth. California gardners have been asked not to use this plant and the California Department of Food and Agriculture added it to it's noxious weed list in 2003. The CDFA defines a noxious weed as one liable to be, "troublesome, aggressive, intrusive, detrimental or destructive" to agriculture, forests or native species. (See the San Jose Mercury News / Friday June 25, 2004 / http://www.mercurynews.com / for the article) I recommend caution with this plant in areas with similiar mediterranean climates.