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Banana Vine

Curio radicans, Asteraceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called creeping berries, Creeping Berry, Necklace Plant, String of Bananas and String of Fishhooks.

Banana Vine (Curio radicans), the whole plant.
KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained or Well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exception
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Water only when the upper half of the soil is dry. It tolerates drought; avoid overwatering.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
During growth, water moderately and feed monthly with a balanced liquid feed at half strength.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
While growing, water moderately and give a balanced liquid feed at half strength each month.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Stem cuttings or seed can be used; stem cuttings are the fastest and most usual method.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Divide, or remove stem sections and root them.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Prune in spring or summer to control growth and promote branching.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by glasshouse whitefly, glasshouse red spider mite and aphids. Diseases: overwatering can lead to stem rots.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

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About the plant

Curio radicans, syn. Senecio radicans, is a succulent plant native to Southern Africa. A member of the family Asteraceae, the asters, this species is closely related to the common string of pearls and Curio hallianus. It has multiple tendrils of glossy, banana-shaped leaves. It is commonly known as string of bananas or fishhook senecio.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
S. Africa
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
South Africa
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
S Africa (Cape)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
Herbaceous Perennial, Succulent, Vine; habit cascading, creeping, prostrate
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pendulous weeping (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 0.5-1 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers pink, white; blooms in fall, summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Other Curio

More of the Asteraceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.