| Senecio tamoides | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Senecio |
| Species: | S. tamoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Senecio tamoides | |
Senecio tamoides, also known asCanary creeper,[3] is aclimbing member of the genusSenecio of the familyAsteraceae that is native toSouthern Africa.[4] It is used as anornamental plant for its showy yellow, daisy-like flowers in late autumn through to winter.[5][6] Other names for the plant includegolden shower vine,[7]false grapevine,[8] andparlor ivy.[9]
It is a fast-growing,[10] mostly evergreen, perennial climber with semi-succulent stems and leaves[6]that creeps along the ground or twines several meters into the trees to reach the sunlit canopy where it can flower.[4] It grows up to a height of 2 metres (6.6 ft) to 4 metres (13 ft) tall, though it can be as much as 10 metres (33 ft) tall in the right conditions.[10][6][11][12]
Its stems are slender, 3 centimetres (1.2 in) to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in diameter, usually purplish, semi-succulent and hairless that have a clear and stickyexudate.[13]
Leaves are bright green,palmately lobed with purplevenation, shaped like manyivy[12] with broad, oval and fleshy surfaces, 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long and 7 centimetres (2.8 in) wide, coarsely toothed edges, leaf stalks 2 centimetres (0.79 in) to 5 centimetres (2.0 in) long.[6]
Itsinflorescence is many-headed,[6] bright yellow,[12] and theraceme grows to have a flat top. Theflower heads are cylindrical, about 3 millimetres (0.12 in) in diameter; surrounded with a whorl of five to sevenbracts, 6 millimetres (0.24 in) to 7 millimetres (0.28 in) long which are surrounded by two to four smaller bracts or bracteoles.[6] Flowers arecinnamon-scented that generally appear from mid autumn to winter.[10][14] InNew South Wales, it flowers in winter. InWestern Australia, it flowers between April and May.[15][16]
Three to six rayflorets; eachligule approximately 1 centimetre (0.39 in) long; ten to twelve disc florets, 12 millimetres (0.47 in) to 15 millimetres (0.59 in) long.[6] When cultivated in the gardens of the National Museums of Kenya, it has orange florets.[17]
Achenes about 2 millimetres (0.079 in) long, and not hairy;pappus 6 millimetres (0.24 in) to 7 millimetres (0.28 in) long.[6]It grows easily from stem cuttings.[12]
It is native to southern Africa where it occurs from coastalEastern Cape inSouth Africa to easternZimbabwe, as well as in parts of the forests inKwaZulu-Natal and areas along the escarpment, including thebushveld savanna.[18][19] It grows along evergreen forest margins at altitudes of 300 metres (980 ft) to 1,900 metres (6,200 ft)[4] and in moist gullies.[6] The plant has been introduced toSoutheast Brazil,Colombia,Eritrea,Ethiopia,Guatemala,Mauritius,Queensland andRéunion.[20]
In Australia, it issparingly found in moist gullies inSydney, theNorth Coast andSouth Coast of New South Wales, and southeastQueensland, afterescaping from the garden as an ornamental plant due to its seeds being dispersed by wind and parts of its stems being spread in disposed garden waste.
It is a species of concern in south-eastern Queensland, where it was ranked in a list that contains 100 most invasive species in the region. As such, the plant is listed on a few local weed lists in south-eastern QLD – It is a pest plant inRedland Shire, an invasive plant inGold Coast City, an unwelcome species inBurnett Shire, a significant non-declared pest plant inMaroochy Shire, and an unwanted species inCaboolture Shire.[21]
These reports, however, may have incorrectly applied theS. tamoides name toSenecio angulatus, since the two are often confused with each other.[22] Further,Atlas of Living Australia has misappliedS. tamoides for itsD. odorata observations in Australia.[23]
InAustralia,Senecio tamoides has been misapplied and is usually considered to beSenecio angulatus since the two species bear a resemblance, thoughS. tamoides (Canary creeper) has leaves that are lighter greened, more ivy or grapevine-like, less glossier and more toothed.[24] Moreover, Canary creeper haspetals that are slightly more elongated, about 10 mm long, compared to those ofS. angulatus, which are 6–9 mm long.[25]
Delairea odorata (formerlySenecio mikanioides), a related vine in theSenecioneae tribe, is also similar looking, but features small ear-shaped appendages at the base of the stalks of the leaves and flowers that lack obvious petals, whereas bothS. angulatus andS. tamoides have daisy-like flowers with several petals. UnlikeS. angulatus, which is more of a scrambler,S. tamoides andDelairea grow like typical vines where they intertwine and attach themselves on objects as they climb.
It is a fairly drought-tolerant, fast-growing garden plant that grows in well-drained soil towards a wall or fence, and may need some regularplant food for robust growth and abundant flowering. It needs moderate watering until it becomes established in sun to part shade areas.[18] Its long stems require support to climb, such as on atrellis or apergola. It can also be allowed to naturally creep through other shrubs or by planting beside a tree, leaving it to ascend by itself. The plant's growing tips should receive full sunshine for the flowers to develop, though the base can tolerate full shade.[10]
Although naturally evergreen, it may besemi-deciduous in places that have frosty winters, where it will die back and recover again in spring. It can bepruned once in a while to maintain its spread in the garden. It can be grown from seed in spring, or from stem cuttings in summer.[10] In Sweden, it is known asSommarmurgröna ('summer ivy'), a name that is also interchangeably used forDelairea odorata, due to the fact that it grows in summer and dies back to the ground in the cold winter.[26]
Medicinally, it has been traditionally used to treatflatulence andanthrax in cattle.[18] Pests includeaphids,red spider mite,caterpillars andwhiteflies, and diseases includerust.[14]
