Growing
- Forest layer: Herbaceous succulent groundcover.
- Growth habit & lifespan: Perennial succulent, spreads aggressively via tiny plantlets that form along leaf margins and drop off to root wherever they land.
- Size: 0.3-1m.
- Site preference: Full sun to part shade, highly drought tolerant, tolerates poor and disturbed soil.
- Water needs / drought tolerance: Low, very drought tolerant.
- Fruiting / flowering season: Clusters of bell-shaped orange-red flowers, winter to spring.
- Propagation: Vegetative, via the leaf-margin plantlets — an extremely effective spread mechanism, since a single dropped leaf can establish dozens of new plants.
- Harvesting technique: Not applicable, removal target.
Permaculture Function
- Permaculture functions: None of value.
- Wildlife value: None of note.
- Edibility / medicinal use: Not edible, seriously toxic.
- Companion notes: Not applicable, removal target.
Safety & Control
- Toxicity: Seriously toxic to livestock — contains bufadienolide cardiac glycosides, capable of causing fatal heart failure in cattle, sheep, and goats from a relatively small quantity. A genuine hazard on any property running animals, and a risk to pets and curious children.
- Control method: Never herbicide as the plan. Hand removal, taking care not to drop or scatter the leaf-margin plantlets in the process. Every fragment can root, so bag and bin removed material rather than composting or leaving it on the ground. Expect repeated follow-up visits for missed plantlets rather than a single clearing pass.