String of Dolphins
Curio × peregrinus
📖 About this plant
String of Dolphins (Senecio peregrinus, also known as Curio × peregrinus) is one of the most whimsical and internet-famous succulents, featuring cascading vines of small, fleshy leaves shaped exactly like tiny leaping dolphins. Each leaf has a pointed ‘dorsal fin’ and a curved body that perfectly mimics a dolphin mid-jump. This trailing beauty creates an enchanting hanging display and is a guaranteed conversation starter. When it blooms, it produces small white pompom flowers with a surprising cinnamon-vanilla fragrance. It’s a hybrid between String of Pearls and Candle Stick Plant, combining the best traits of both parents.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Bright Indirect Light
When soil is completely dry (every 1-2 weeks)
40-60%
18-27°C (65-80°F)
Well-draining succulent mix with perlite and orchid bark
Diluted succulent fertilizer monthly in spring and summer
🌐 Common Names
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- South Africa (hybrid cultivar — cross between String of Pearls and Candle Stick Plant)
- 📏 Max height
- Trailing vines up to 1 m (3 ft) long
- 📐 Spread
- 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) trailing
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring to autumn
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White to pale pink small pompom-like flowers with cinnamon scent
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green crescent-shaped leaves that look like leaping dolphins with dorsal fins
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial (3-7 years)
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Toxic to cats and dogs if ingested — contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 🌱 Propagation
- Stem cuttings — take 10 cm sections, allow to callus 1-2 days, lay on moist soil; roots in 2-4 weeks
🛡️ Health & Safety
Toxic to cats and dogs if ingested — contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids
Common issues
- Shriveled dolphin leaves from underwatering
- mushy leaves and stem rot from overwatering
- mealybugs on stems
- etiolation causing stretched unrecognizable leaves
- dropping leaves if overwatered
- slow recovery from neglect
💡 Care tips
- Water thoroughly when soil is completely dry but never let it sit in water.
- The dolphin shape is best maintained in bright indirect light — too little light causes stretching into unrecognizable shapes.
- Bottom watering works well for this variety.
- Prune regularly to encourage bushier, multi-trailing growth.
- Propagate cuttings to create a fuller basket — this plant looks best when dense.
