Mexican Flame Vine, Orange Glow Vine (Senecio confusus)

Mexican Flame Vine, Orange Glow Vine
Senecio confusus

Volunteer seedling (one of many) at the base of Senecio confusus vine

Isn't that something? I 'm so glad you finally got your plant. I've never seen seeds come up from mine, but do have underground stems produce little plants like that. That is certainly what the leaves look like. I've mailed the seeds to others and no one else had luck with them either. Wonder why?

Hi Sunkissed! I sure wasn't expecting any plants from seeds and these little guys are definitely not coming from underground runners because i have plucked some out that were all growing in a clump. There is a gardener in Pakistan who is also germinating Senecio confusus from seed, but he is the only other person i've heard about. I think there may be a couple of reasons. S. confusus is said to grow wild in the El Tejin region of Veracruz here in Mexico and possibly the cuttings i received here are closer genetically to the wild ones. Also i think possibly many people "know" their vines are sterile and therefore do not look for mature seeds, especially because the vine is so easily reproduced via cuttings. I think the same may be true for Chocolate Cosmos which is generally "known" to be sterile. The plant is no longer found growing wild in Hidalgo but is cultivated in Mexico via cuttings, etc. I would love to bring it back to the wild. There is a woman in New Zealand who has reported viable seeds from her Chocolate Cosmos. This is a project i am working on with a neighbor, and an organization working to preserve the natural habitat of Mexico. I guess when everyone says a plant is "sterile", i am now thinking "well maybe it is and maybe it isn't unless it has been altered in some way from the original seed producing form". If you actually see seeds at the end of the white fuzz, maybe the seeds are not mature enough. But i remember you saying that your vine grows over a compost pile and you have never seen volunteers, and that is a convincing indication that your vine is indeed sterile. Maybe it (along with most of the other Sc growing in the US) has been genetically messed with in the past? Do you think?

I must say how much i appreciate your generous help along the way to my finding this beautiful vine. It is much treasured in my garden and i am always amazed to find it growing there.

I am surprised also that nothing i have read mentions the lovely fragrance that these flowers have.

You're probably right about the modifications causing the seed to be sterile. I've seen many report buying a vine and it now doing well and eventually dying, in warm weather states like mine. I don't see them around here and have people ask about mine all the time since it hangs over my fence. Interesting about the fragrance, because I've never noticed one, mine are blooming now and I'll go out once it warms up and do a sniff test.

I would be interested to hear the results of a sniff test...best fragrance comes from newly matured flowers that have not yet turned dark orange. To all appearances, my vine is identical with all the other photos that i've seen. Maybe fragrance in addition to viable seeds is a difference.

I did go do the sniff test and they have a mild fragrance, but I have to stick my nose right down into the flower. It is very subtle.

Interesting. Perhaps the sterile vines have not only lost the ability to make viable seeds, but most of their fragrance as well. I did think it was curious that nothing i had read about the vine during my search mentioned a fragrance. The fragrance of the flowers on my vine does not waft through the whole garden, but up close it is distinct and very pleasing.