PlantFiles: Senecio
Senecio cristobalensis

I love the rich dark foliage on this plant. I picked one up a couple months ago that was a few feet tall in a 5 gal pot. It said full to partial sun..so I planted it in a spot that gets am sun till about 1pm in the summer. Unfortunately thats seems to be a bit much as the leaves wilt and burn slightly (not from drying out)..even with the mild summer temps here in oakland (it has yet to get above 85 so far this year) They always perk back up though and plenty of new growth. Im hoping it will acclimate and toughen up,it was in shade at the nursery so probably wasnt ready for full sun. I suspect it would do best in flitered sun light.

I love the leaves and the flowers are an absolute bonus, blooming February thru April... In a pot, it really needs water almost daily in hot weather, and the leaves will most certainly tell you when, as the wilt easily. I have used good amounts of fertilizer on this plant, and it responds by sending up alot of new growth; a very healthy plant, and a wonderful foliage plant. Always is the one people ask me about. It easily grows to about 5-6 feet in a 15" pot. I wack it down to about 8" each year, and it grows back quickly and more full yearly.

This is a wonderful plant with great leaves--gray-green with a purplish cast and fuzzy texture. Flowers, a bright yellow panicle, are a bonus. It got about five feet tall in its second year and started putting out underground runners. I cut it to the ground in January and it started putting out leaves in February. It is probably frost sensitive, but I am not sure as we do not get much frost here. Needs somewhat regular water and reasonably good soil.