× Bacurio delphinatifolius

A Cultivated Hybrid of Southern African Succulents

× Bacurio delphinatifolius is a cultivated cross between Baculellum articulatum and Curio rowleyanus. Both parent species come from southern Africa and store water in succulent stems or leaves. The hybrid exists only in cultivation.

Care for String of Dolphins

• Light: Provide bright indirect light with gentle morning or late-afternoon sun. In weak light, the stems lengthen with wider gaps and the leaves become smaller and less clearly shaped.
• Water: Water thoroughly after the potting mix has dried well, then let the pot drain. Wrinkling in a dry pot can indicate thirst; wrinkling in wet mix can indicate damaged roots.
• Substrate: Use a gritty succulent mix with a high proportion of pumice, lava, perlite or coarse mineral material. A pot with drainage holes is essential.
• Temperature and airflow: Keep frost-free and protect the plant from cold, wet conditions. Moving air around the trailing stems helps the crown and leaf joints dry after watering.
• Humidity: Average household humidity is enough for the water-storing leaves. Enclosed, persistently damp conditions increase the risk of rot.
• Feeding: During active growth, small regular amounts of diluted succulent fertiliser replace nutrients used by new stems and leaves. Stop or reduce feeding when growth pauses.
• Pruning and propagation: Trim stretched or bare stems above firm growth. Healthy stem sections can be left to seal briefly, then rooted in a lightly moist, free-draining succulent mix.

Reading Changes in the Stems and Leaves

• Long stems with small leaves: Light is too weak. Move the plant gradually closer to a bright window and remove badly stretched growth if needed.
• Wrinkled foliage: Check the potting mix before watering. A dry root ball needs water; wet mix combined with shrivelling points to root damage.
• Soft, yellow or collapsing stems: The roots or stem base may be rotting after prolonged wetness, cold conditions or poor drainage. Remove affected tissue and reroot firm stem tips.
• Pale dry patches: Sudden strong sun can scorch growth raised under softer light. Acclimate the plant gradually to direct sun.
• White cottony clusters: Mealybugs hide at leaf bases and along stems. Isolate the plant and treat all visible insects before they spread.

Pet safety

• × Bacurio delphinatifolius is not pet-safe. One parent, Curio rowleyanus, can cause stomach upset, especially vomiting and lethargy, when eaten, so treat the hybrid as unsafe for ingestion.
• Keep the trailing stems out of reach and contact a veterinarian promptly after suspected chewing or ingestion.

Name, parentage and publication

Botanical hybrid name: × Bacurio delphinatifolius Gideon F.Sm. & Figueiredo

The hybrid genus name × Bacurio combines the names of the parent genera Baculellum and Curio. The epithet delphinatifolius means dolphin-leaved and refers to the curved, raised leaves behind the common name String of Dolphins. The recorded parents are Baculellum articulatum and Curio rowleyanus.

Gideon F. Smith and Estrela Figueiredo published the name in Phytotaxa, volume 458(1), page 117, in 2020. The holotype is G.F. Smith 1108, collected from a cultivated plant in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, on 17 May 2020.

Earlier names applied to the same cultivated hybrid include Kleinia × peregrina, Senecio × peregrinus and ×Senecurio delphinatifolius.