Curio rowleyanus, syn. Senecio rowleyanus, is a flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is a creeping, perennial, succulent vine native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. In its natural environment its stems trail on the ground, rooting where they touch and form dense mats. It often avoids direct sunlight by growing in the shade of other plants and rocks. It is commonly known as string-of-pearls or string-of-beads.
"String-of-beads" and several other common names are shared with Curio herreanus (string of watermelons), which has teardrop-shaped leaves, rather than spherical.
Taxonomy
This plant was named after British botanist Gordon Douglas Rowley who specialized in Cactaceae and succulents.
According to IPNI, the currently accepted name Curio rowleyanus was originally published in 1999 by Paul V. Heath in Calyx. Sutton under Whitestone Cliffe 6(2): 55 (as Curio roeleanus). Earlier names, now regarded as synonyms, are Kleinia rowleyana (Jacobsen) G.Kunkel, Gartenpraxis, 14(1): 52 (1988) and Senecio rowleyanus H.Jacobsen, National Cact. Succ. J., 23(2): 30 (1968).
