Cineraria
Pericallis × hybrida
Also called Florist's cineraria
Houseplant · FloweringSold in full flower in February and over by April — it is grown as an annual and there is no second act. It wilts flat at the first warm dry hour and comes back if you catch it; twice and it does not.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 4 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright indirect, and cool
- Feed
- Once a fortnight
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Tender — no frost at all RHS H2, to 1°C
- Size
- 0.3 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- A garden hybrid of Canary Island species
Is it safe for pets and people?
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: vomiting, diarrhoea, and liver damage with repeated exposure. Not listed under its own name — this follows Senecio species, which is.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
It was Senecio cruentus until the 1990s and is now Pericallis. ASPCA lists Senecio species toxic to dogs, cats and horses for its pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and nothing has tested whether those went with the name or stayed with the plant. Treated as toxic, which is the cautious reading.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-08-05.
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.
First signs of trouble
- The whole plant lies down in an afternoon and stands up again an hour after watering. It survives that once; the second time it does not.Wilting flat · disorder
- White dust on the big soft leaves, starting on the lowest ones, in a still warm room.Powdery mildew · disease