Dolphin Necklace

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Origin

Senecio peregrinus, commonly known as a Dolphin Necklace or Dolphin plant, is a unique-looking succulent, growing leaves that look like tiny jumping dolphins!

They're native to the dry regions of southwestern Africa, and can grow up to 6 inches (15 cm) tall. You can allow the little dolphins to trail out from a hanging basket to make a truly eye-catching display piece in your home.

This plant was created as a hybrid between Senecio rowleyanus and Senecio articulatus.

Care

These plants can be a little tricky to get ahold of, so it's worth making sure you take care of them as it may be hard to find a replacement! Luckily, though, succulents in general make easy-care plants, and so the Dolphin Necklace is fairly low-maintenance.

Make sure it gets plenty of bright, indirect light, but shelter it from harsh midday sun as this may be too hot for your Dolphin Necklace and cause it to become sunburnt.

One way that the Dolphin Necklace differs from other succulents is that it actually thrives in cool air and is more cold-hardy. However, they're still not frost-tolerant, so if you keep yours outside then be sure to bring it indoors before the winter frost sets in.

In terms of watering, they're a little more likely than some other succulents to suffer from underwatering. You can allow the soil to dry out in between waterings, but then it's important that you water thoroughly - pour enough water into the soil so that it starts to run out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. Be sure to empty out any water that collects on the dish underneath, as it's not healthy for your Dolphin Necklace to sit in water for more than say an hour or so.

Other

Another cool fact about your String of Dolphins is that their leaves can talk! Well, okay, not really, but they will let you know when they need more water. The 'dolphins' will begin to look deflated and dry when they're thirsty and can become yellowed (or even transparent) and squishy if they're getting too much water. Keep an eye on them if you're ever unsure of when it's time to water again.

Note that this plant is unfortunately toxic to humans and animals, so be sure to keep it out of the reach of kids and pets.

Mature String of Dolphins plants can also produce small white flowers during the warmer months. These flowers are said to smell a bit like cinnamon.