Senecio hawortii - Cocoon plant

Senecio haworthii is an indoor succulent plant valued for its silvery-white, woolly-looking foliage. It is affectionately nicknamed the cocoon plant, woolly senecio, or "ghost plant". It is a compact, upright bush that truly brightens up a windowsill, a bright desk, or a conservatory. Very drought-resistant and almost maintenance-free, it is perfectly suited for lovers of succulent plants adapted to the dry atmospheres of heated homes.

This succulent plant is now classified in the genus Caputia under the name Caputia tomentosa. It belongs to the Asteraceae family. Older synonyms exist, such as Cacalia tomentosa and Kleinia tomentosa. Its native range is in the Cape provinces of South Africa, particularly in the Richtersveld, the Great and Little Karoo, on rocky, very sunny slopes between 900 and 1,200 m altitude, in an arid to semi-arid climate.

Senecio haworthii / Caputia tomentosa takes the form of a small, branching succulent bush, typically reaching 20 to 30 cm tall in a pot, sometimes up to 40–50 cm in height and about 30–40 cm wide for older specimens. The stems become woody over time, enhancing its miniature shrub appearance. The leaves are sessile (without a petiole), cylindrical to spindle-shaped, pointed at both ends and arranged in a tight spiral along the stems. They measure 2 to 4 cm long and 0.6 to 1.5 cm in diameter, are very fleshy and entirely covered with a thick, white, felt-like down (tomentum) that reflects sunlight and limits water loss. This woolly coat can be very dense.
The flowering, mainly observed in greenhouses or outdoors under good conditions, occurs in summer or late in the season. It takes the form of long, upright, 10-15 cm tall flower stalks, bearing a terminal yellow to yellow-orange head. Flowers may appear in a very bright conservatory or a well-exposed winter garden. The fruits are small achenes, dispersed by the wind in the wild.

To grow Senecio haworthii indoors, place it in a spot with very bright light, with at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sun per day, behind a south or west-facing window to maintain a compact habit and very white leaves.
By combining several succulent plants in the same container or in a series of coordinated pots, you can easily create a sculptural and contemporary scene, ideal for a very bright living room, a sunny workspace, or a conservatory filled with succulent plants. Choose, for example, Echeveria agavoides ‘Ebony’, Crassula radicans ‘Small Red’, and Sedum spathulifolium ‘Cape Blanco’.