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Cape Ivy
Senecio angulatus
SA tree number
English: Cape Ivy, Creeping Groundsel, Climbing Groundsel, Canary Creeper, Garden Senecio, Mile-a-minute, Scrambling Groundsel
Afrikaans: Kanarieklimop
Synonyms: Senecio macropodus, , Senecio macroglossus var. angulatus
Senecio angulatus, commonly known as Cape Ivy or Kanarieklimop, is a succulent, scrambling herb or climber, sometimes forming a dense tangled shrub. It is recognised by its thick, glossy, fleshy leaves and clusters of bright yellow, daisy-like flowers.
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Distinguishing features:
Succulent, slightly angular stems.
Thick, glossy, fleshy leaves that are coarsely toothed and may have a frosted look on the underside.
Produces numerous bright yellow, daisy-like flowers in autumn and winter.
Can grow as a scrambling herb, dense shrub, or a climber up to 10 metres high.
Overall appearance:
A glabrous (hairless), scandent (climbing or scrambling) perennial herb, sometimes forming a dense tangled shrub up to 2 metres tall, or a climber that can reach 10 metres high if suitable support is available. The stems are succulent and become woody with age.
Height:
Up to 2 m as a dense tangled shrub; up to 10 m high if climbing support is available.
Leaves:
Leaves are alternate, rhombic (diamond-shaped) to ovate (egg-shaped).
They measure 30 mm to 60 mm long and 25 mm to 50 mm wide.
They are thick, glossy, fleshy (succulent), and coarsely toothed, typically with one to three teeth on each side.
The lowermost teeth are often distinctly larger.
The leaves are bluntly lobed.
Uppermost leaves become smaller, narrower, with fewer teeth or none at all (entire).
They have a frosted look from a powdery coating on the lower side.
Leaf stalks (petioles) are 10 mm to 40 mm long.
Venation is palmate-pinnate.
Neither stems nor leaves are hairy (glabrous).
Flowers:
Flowers are bright yellow, daisy-like, and honey-scented.
They are produced in numerous open clusters (capitula in open, terminal panicles) at the end of its branches or stems.
The flower clusters are 40 mm to 80 mm in diameter, often more flat at the top than pyramid-like.
Often the cluster droops, with the flower heads at the end of the cluster turning upwards.
Individual flower-heads are radiate (with ray florets) and urn-shaped.
Flower stalks (peduncles) are mostly hairless or with some short hairs, 6.5 mm to 10.5 mm long.
There are 8-11 fine-pointed involucral bracts (phyllaries), 5 mm to 6 mm long, which are surrounded by 4-7 pale green and sometimes purple-tinged supplementary bracts at the base, 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm long, forming a cup shape around the base of the involucre.
Ray florets are (4-)5, with yellow ligules (the strap-shaped part of the ray floret) measuring 6 mm to 11 mm long.
The disc comprises 10-15 dull golden yellow disc florets. Each disc floret is a hairless tube with a slight expansion below the middle, and lobes 1.3 mm to 2 mm wide.
Flowering season:
Autumn-winter (April to May in Southern Africa). Can bloom in late spring under full sun, albeit sparingly.
Fruits:
Fruits are achenes, measuring 3 mm to 4 mm long.
They are cylindrical, tapering, ribbed or grooved, with short hairs in the grooves.
Each achene has a parachute-like pappus (hairs) 5 mm to 7 mm long, which aids in wind dispersal.
Seeds:
Achenes (as described above), dispersed by wind.
Stems:
Succulent, often variegated with pale yellow-green and purple.
Slightly angular (not upright) and usually sparingly branched.
Become woody as they age.
Glabrous (no hairs).
Soil type:
Prefers soils of black calcareous and grey sand, sandy clay, and limestone.
Aspect:
Would flourish better with some water in the summer and would bloom more often in full sun. Can grow indoors if it gets some sunlight.
Toxicity:
About 25 species in the genus Senecio contain alkaloids poisonous to humans and animals.
Uses:
Ornamental: Introduced as an ornamental plant in New Zealand in 1940.
Medicinal: Phytochemical profiling showed antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities in extracts from Algerian Senecio angulatus.
Ecology:
Pollination: The honey-scented flowers attract insects.
Dispersal: Spreads by seed and stem segments. Seeds are dispersed by wind and animals. Stem segments can also be spread in dumped garden waste.
Invasive potential: Can become an aggressive weed once established. It is an invasive species in many regions outside South Africa. It can form dense populations that smother native plants.
Distribution and habitat:
Native to South Africa, particularly the Cape Peninsula.
Provincial distribution within South Africa: Eastern Cape, Western Cape.
Found in coastal areas on cliff faces, mudflats, wet depressions in dunes, near swamps, in landfills, scrubland, and near settlements, especially near the sea.
Derivation of name:
The genus name Senecio means 'old man', possibly referring to the white hairs of the pappus (seed parachute).
The species name angulatus is Latin, meaning 'angular' or 'angled', referring to the slightly angular stems.
Interesting facts:
Despite its pretty yellow flowers, this plant is a bit of a rebel! It's considered an invasive species in many parts of the world, earning it the nickname "mile-a-minute" because of how fast it spreads.
Its name angulatus hints at its stems, which aren't perfectly round but have a slight angle to them. Keep an eye out for that subtle detail!
Even though it's native to South Africa, this "Cape Ivy" has travelled far and wide, often introduced because people thought its climbing habit and bright flowers made it a nice garden plant. Turns out, it's a bit too good at growing!
Growing tips:
Cape Ivy grows in USDA hardiness zones 9a through 11b, tolerating temperatures between 10 °C and 38 °C.
It is medium to fast-growing and drought and heat tolerant.
It would flourish better with some water in the summer and would bloom more often in full sun.
Can grow indoors as a houseplant, provided it gets some sunlight.
Pruning is necessary as the plant can become limp when it gets taller.
Propagation can be done by cuttings (as the plant easily roots from the branch tips).
Seeds prefer consistent moisture and warm temperatures to germinate.
Annual fertilisation is necessary, though not mandatory.
Pests include aphids.
This plant is a fantastic alternative for:
Madeira Vine
Anredera cordifolia
Plant type:
Evergreen, scrambler, climber, creeper, herbaceous, vine, succulent or perennial
Plant family:
Asteraceae (star) - Order: Asterales