Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Arid shrubland
Range: South Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Rare

About

Blue Chalksticks are famous for their upright, finger-like leaves that look like they have been dipped in a soft blue powder to protect them from the sun. This hardy plant spreads across the ground like a colorful carpet, storing water inside its fleshy stems to thrive in dry, rocky places.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Curio
Species: Curio ficoides