Care of the succulent plant Kleinia anteuphorbium or Swizzle Sticks |
The genus Kleinia, family Asteraceae, comprises 50 species of shrub and succulent plants native to Africa. Some species are: Kleinia anteuphorbium, Kleinia neriifolia, Kleinia petraea, Kleinia galpinii, Kleinia kleiniiformis. Common names: Cigar Plant, Swizzle Sticks. This species is native to North and Northeast Africa. Scientific synonyms: Senecio anteuphorbium, Cacalia antheuphorbium. They are succulent plants of prostrate shrubby habit that reach 1 meter (3.28 feet) in height. They have bluish-green cylindrical stems with small 1 cm (0.39") long leaves. The flowers are yellow and appear in cylindrical heads at the end of some stems. They bloom in spring and part of summer. Swizzle Sticks is used in cactus and succulent gardens, in rockeries, in borders and in pots for terraces and greenhouses. Kleinia anteuphorbium can grow in full sun or light shade exposure. The climate must be warm and dry. It does not resist temperatures below 12 ºC (53.6 ºF). The soil can be a mixture, in the same proportions, of leaf mulch and coarse siliceous sand. Always water moderately, waiting for the substrate to dry; Cigar Plant resists drought well. Fertilize monthly in spring and summer with a mineral fertilizer for succulents. Kleinia anteuphorbium does not need pruning. The main enemy of Cigar Plant is excess humidity. Swizzle Sticks propagates from 10 cm stem cuttings placed to root in sandy substrate. |
Images of the succulent plant Kleinia anteuphorbium or Swizzle Sticks |