About
Curio ficoides is a succulent perennial shrub that can reach heights of up to 100 cm. Its leaves and stems are fleshy, elongated, and flattened, exhibiting hues of blue to grey-green. Depending on the variety, some plants may grow in a scrambling fashion while others maintain a more upright posture. Flowering is uncommon in this species, but when it occurs, the flowers are white and lack prominent ray florets, typically emerging at the tips of the stems during autumn or winter after a dormancy period.
About the genus
Curio is a group of evergreen succulents that originate from the mountainous regions of Cape Province in South Africa. These plants feature elongated, ribbed leaves and produce disc-like flower heads that lack ray florets.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H1C
Plant details
- Plant type
- Cactus Succulent
- Habit
- Columnar upright, Spreading branched
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Houseplants
- Native to
- South Africa (Cape)
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in a mix of 2 parts peat-free, loam-based potting compost and 1 part each of leaf mould and grit, in full light with good ventilation. When in growth water moderately and apply a half-strength balanced liquid feed monthly. See cactus and succulent cultivation for further advice
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by division or by removing and rooting stem sections
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids, glasshouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to stem rots if overwatered