Delairea odorata is a climber within the family Asteraceae that is native to South Africa. One of the two species in the genus Delairea (the other being Delairea aparadensis), it was previously included in the genus Senecio as Senecio mikanioides. It is known as Cape ivy in some parts of the world (US) and German ivy in others (Britain, Ireland). Other names include parlor ivy and Italian ivy.
It is a twining perennial, herbaceous plant that grows 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall. Its multi-lobed leaves somewhat resemble those of the unrelated English ivy. Originally used as an ornamental plant on trellises and as groundcover, it is now rarely cultivated because of its invasiveness, in addition to being a weed. Although it resembles Senecio tamoides, Open Tree of Life indicates that it is most closely related to species in the genus Curio, followed by Senecio angulatus.
Description
Leaf detail
Blooms pollinated by bees
Delairea odorata is a fast-growing vine that can climb to heights of 2–4 metres (7–13 ft).
The glossy and semi-succulent leaves, which are
The plant's stems and leaves will die between late summer and early autumn, being superseded by new shoots that employ the old stems as climbing support.
Its sweet-scented discoid flowers are yellow, and lack the petal-like ray florets found in typical daisies. They have tiny tubular florets surrounded by an involucre of 8-10 small green phyllaries (3–5 millimetres (15⁄128–25⁄128 in) long). Flower-heads (2–7 millimetres (5⁄64–35⁄128 in) across and 2–5 millimetres (5⁄64–25⁄128 in) long) occur in compact clusters at the ends of the branches (terminal corymbs), with clusters consisting of about 15-50 flower-heads. Flowering occurs mostly during winter to early spring. More broadly, it can flower from as early as autumn through to early spring.
The seeds (or achenes) are approximately 2 millimetres (5⁄64 in) long and are...
