Curio rowleyanus

A ground-creeping succulent from South Africa’s Cape

Curio rowleyanus, long known as Senecio rowleyanus, is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. In the wild its bead-lined stems run along the ground and root at points of contact, forming loose mats.

The plant threads through rocky or sandy spaces, often using the shade of stones and neighbouring shrubs in a dry subtropical landscape. Rain is intermittent and exposed surfaces lose moisture quickly.

Each spherical leaf stores water in a compact form, while a narrow translucent window allows light into the leaf interior. The familiar hanging habit appears when these naturally creeping stems pass over an edge.

Care for water-storing roots and leaves

Temperature

Keep String of Pearls in warm growing conditions. A hanging container chills quickly beside glass, and direct heater air can shrivel the ends even while moisture remains at the crown.

Light for close rounded pearls

Keep String of Pearls directly at an east or west window, or close to a south window with the fiercest midday rays softened. Acclimate String of Pearls to gentle direct sun in stages; hot glass can scorch exposed upper beads.

Humidity and airflow

String of Pearls is comfortable in low to average household humidity. Extra humidity can keep the densely rooted crown damp without benefiting the spherical leaves.

Feeding

Feed String of Pearls at a low dose only while new strings and roots are forming. A warm, well-lit plant may continue to need a small winter dose; stop when stem growth pauses and the pot takes much longer to dry.

Repotting

Repot String of Pearls when the shallow root mat fills the container, the surface no longer absorbs water evenly or the hanging weight makes the pot unstable. Return rooted nodes to the new surface and wait briefly before soaking if anything broke.

Support and watering

Keep the pot high enough that the hanging strings are not crushed against a shelf or floor. Gather the pearl strings in loose loops and support their wet weight before moving the pot.

Root, stem and leaf problems in Curio rowleyanus

Spherical beads wrinkle or flatten

Firm wrinkles on dry mix indicate depleted water stores. The same look on wet compost often means roots or the stem base have rotted. Trace several strings back to the crown before watering. Give a sound dry plant a thorough drink; root clean green tips if bases are brown, hollow or mushy.

The top of the pot is bald but strings remain long

The crown may be too shaded or old stems may have lost contact with the mix while energy continues at the ends. Improve light to the pot surface, coil healthy strings onto the mix and pin nodes in place to root. Remove dead crown tissue first so it is not hidden beneath the layered vines.

New peas are tiny and spaced far apart

Weak light produces thin stems and small, widely separated beads. Increase light gradually and rotate the hanging pot; do not compensate with strong feed. Healthy new strings should carry rounder, closer beads. Stretched sections can later be replaced with cuttings, but will not become compact themselves.

Beads turn glassy and stems blacken at the crown

This is urgent succulent rot, usually associated with a wet, poorly aerated or oversized root zone. Stop watering, remove every soft section and salvage firm green strings above clean cuts. Replace the wet mix and any collapsed roots. A black stem can spread damage along an entire string.

White cottony patches collect between the peas

Mealybugs can hide at bead joints and near the crown. Pests are accompanied by insects or sticky residue. If present, isolate the plant and apply a suitable succulent-safe treatment to all joints. Recheck new growth because the spherical foliage makes small colonies easy to miss.

Curio rowleyanus is toxic to cats and dogs

• Keep this plant away from cats and dogs that may chew it.
• It may contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which can damage the liver after enough plant material is swallowed.
• Possible signs include vomiting, weakness or delayed liver problems. Contact a veterinarian promptly after suspected ingestion.

How did Curio rowleyanus get its name?

Curio is linked to the Latin curiosus, meaning curious, in reference to the group's unusual forms. Rowleyanus honours British botanist Gordon Douglas Rowley.

Paul V. Heath established the genus Curio in 1997 in Calyx, volume 5, page 136.

Hermann Johannes Heinrich Jacobsen first described it as Senecio rowleyanus in 1968 in National Cactus and Succulent Journal, volume 23, page 30. Paul V. Heath later placed it in Curio as Curio rowleyanus in 1999 in Calyx, volume 6, page 55.