Candle plant
Curio articulatus
Also called Senecio articulatus, Hot dog cactus and Sausage crassula
Houseplant · Succulents & cactiThe stems are a string of grey sausages, each joint snapping off clean to root on its own, with a few ivy-shaped leaves on the newest one. It grows in WINTER and rests in summer — water it the wrong way round from everything beside it.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Once a fortnightSoak, then bone-dry — wait until the soil is dry right through — lift the pot, it tells you.
- Light
- Bright, with some direct sun
- Feed
- Every 90 days
- Humidity
- Low
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 0.4 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- South Africa
Is it safe for pets and people?
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-21. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.