Plant Identification Needed

I picked this up at a local nursery. There was no sign saying what it was, and the attendents didn't know. I am posting in the annual forum too as I don't know which it is. My guess is an annual though. It looks like a type of daisy. I thought African daisy, but the leaves don't match the photos on PlantFiles.


My camera doesn't show the true color of the flower. It is more of an intense, electric purple. It is about 10-12" tall. Notice what the leaves look like in the photo.

Anyone know what this is?

I don't know what it is but please save the seeds. BEV

I will be saving some some seeds. I cannot figure out what it is for the life of me. The flowers looks like African Daisy (osteospermum) but the leaves do not resemble that plant at all.


Here is an out of focus closer pic. My camera doesn't show the true color. It is such a bright, vibrant purple that it appears to glow. I may have to pick up another plant!

someone in the plant id forum said it was florists cineraria, aka cineraria, aka senecio stellata, a cultivator of it

Yes, definitely cineraria. In your zone I'm pretty sure it'll be an annual.

Do you know how easily it grows from seed? I haven't found much online about the plant. Most of what I have seen is that it grows well in CA.

I don't know if I have a tall or short variety? That way I would know where to plant it.

Does it generally prefer shade or sun?


The internet, amazingly, doesn't have a ton of info on it.

All I know is that I had one at my old house and it didn't reseed on its own in my garden (I didn't make any effort to collect seeds). Mine got probably 5-6 hrs of afternoon sun, so full sun should be OK although it may be able to handle some shade too. You might also try looking for it under the name Pericallis--the one I have came labeled as that. I think Senecio is the currently accepted name, but not all nurseries & websites keep up with the latest in nomenclature.

Is it possibly an osteospermum? The cinerarias I have seen have larger disc flowers, but I'll bow to superior knowledge.

No, definitely not Osteospermum. There are a few different things that go by the common name cineraria, the one you're familiar with may be one of the other ones.

Whatever it is, it's sure a beautiful color! Like several other gardening friends, I thought right away it might be an osteospermum but the leaves weren't like that plant. Had I seen it, I'd had to buy it too because purple is my favorite color.

It definetly is cineraria as to what species of it I don't know. Amazingly, there is not too much info online about it. However, it says it is a cool weather plant. So far it is still blooming away. I love how the newer blooms are an intense purple, and the older blooms fade to a soft lavendar!

Yes. cineraria. Too bad it's not hardy, but the colour is gorgeous, isn't it?

Definitely Pericallis x hybrida AKA Senecio AKA Cineraria; most likely the 'Stellata' form. They naturalize easily here along the coast in the Bay Area. -I have literally hundreds and hundreds of self-sown seedlings every year! They come in an incredible range of colors; pale to intense shades of cool pink, purple and true blues. Often, the flowers are bi color or have white eyes. (My favorite bi colors are midnight blue with a red purple center and white with pale lilac tips.)

Here's an interesting article:

http://goldengategarden.typepad.com/golden_gate_gardener_/2009/05/cineraria-a-speical-flower.html

Forgot to add, that there is a fairly new variety called 'Senetti', hybridized by the Japanese company, Suntory. It is supposed to be a little more heat and cold tolerant than the traditional sort. It also has slightly larger flowers and smaller leaves.

http://www.millviewnurseries.co.uk/annual_production.htm#Senetti

This message was edited Jun 19, 2010 8:53 AM

Did you buy that plant this year? Obviously you didn't keep or it didn't have a plant ID tag that came with it. Sometimes they have the wrong tags or none at all because people have looked at them and never put them back or they put them back in wrong plant..