Kleinia neriifolia

Kleinia neriifolia (previously Senecio kleinia) is an unusual looking plant native to the Canary Islands and is ideal for planting in dry, poor soils, being able to withstand high temperatures and extended periods of drought.

Commonly called Spanish verode or the Canary Islands candle plant, this member of the Asteraceae family (daisy) is unlike any 'daisy' you may have seen. It is a branched shrub with a thick, succulent trunk and stems ending in tufts of narrow, grey-green leaves up to 12cm long.

The grey trunk is streaked with purple and carries the scars of the leaves that have fallen. Fully grown, and in ideal conditions, this odd looking plant can reach three metres tall but 1.5 to two metres is more usual.

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It is dormant during the driest months but will flower profusely from the end of the summer and into autumn. The white or creamy-coloured flowers form in dense clusters and have a lovely scent. They are rich in nectar and attract bees and butterflies as well as other pollinating insects.

After flowering the hairy seed capsules are dispersed by the wind and it may self-seed but is not classed as invasive. It can also be grown from cuttings taken while dormant and left for two weeks until the cut end is totally dry and calloused over. It can then be planted in a pot and kept in a dry spot out of full sun until established.

Spanish verode will not survive cold winters or overwatering, in fact water is probably its biggest enemy, so it should be planted in free-draining soil to which lots of sand or grit has been added.

The Danish botanist Johannes Eugenius Bülow Warming noted in 1895: "These plants almost seem to live on air and yet attain a considerable size."

The genus Kleinia is named after German botanist Dr Jacob Theodor Klein.