Cineraria – Pericallis X hybrida (Senecio X hybrida)

Common Name: Cineraria, Florist's Cineraria

Botanical Name: Pericallis X hybrida (Senecio X hybrida), per-i-CAL-lis (se-NEE-shi-oh)

Decorative Life: About 10-20 days for the flowers and the rest of the plant since both vegetative and reproductive parts last similar amounts of time.

Flower Color: Blue, Pink, Purple, Red, White

Availability: Winter, Year Round

Does well if transported in 3 days or less at 40F. Can be shipped at 34F for 8 days with no or little loss in postharvest life.

• Pericallis is from the Greek “peri” (around) and “kallos” (beauty). Often better known and more commonly listed as Senecio X hybrida. Senecio is from the Latin senex, meaning old man, said to be an allusion to the hairy base of the flower.
• The Compositae or aster family is vast, with over 20,000 species, and is also one of the most developed families. It was named Compositae because the flowers are actually a “composite” of many individual flowers into one head. Hence, when children pull one “petal” off at a time, saying “she/he loves me, loves me not”, they are actually removing a complete flower, not just a petal.
• A very complex species, which appears to have originated mainly from crosses between Senecio cruentus and S. heriteri.
• Requires high light levels (>200 ft-c.) under interior conditions.