These Succulents Look Like Mermaid Tails

Succulents have been having a moment for a while, and now these pretty plants are syncing up with another popular trend — mermaids — for ...

Posted 12:00 p.m. May 28, 2020 — Updated 1:00 a.m. Sep 16, 2021

Succulents have been having a moment for a while, and now these pretty plants are syncing up with another popular trend — mermaids — for one magical-looking plant that you’ll want to display in your home ASAP.

Officially known as a crested senecio vitalis and often referred to as Blue Chalk Fingers, this succulent variant can grow to look just like a mermaid tail sprouting out of the pot.

Because it grows outward instead of toward a light source like the majority of plants, it can fan out in such a way that resembles Ariel’s fin peeking out of the ocean when she dives back underwater.

Check it out in these photos posted to Instagram by @succulentcraze:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6TwUvnlTcq/

The caption notes that the plants shown in the pictures are not for sale. “Crested Senecio Vitalis,” reads the caption. “Crested this way because Mother Nature decided to. Not man-made meaning no one can make it grow like this unless something happens to the plant. I only found these four in the past few years.”

Wow! Mondocactus, a nursery in Italy, sells the plant and notes that it “often produces crested branches.”

Native to South Africa, the crested senecio vitalis typically grows between 1 and 2 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. Unlike many types of succulents, Senecio grows in the winter, not the summer. It can handle long dry periods and is easily grown in sandy, well-drained soils in either sunlight or shade.

Because a natural mutation is responsible for the “crested” appearance, it may be tough to get your hands on a senecio vitalis that really nails the mermaid tail look like the ones shown by @succulentcraze.

But if you have your heart set on a mermaid-themed plant, you still have some options!

Check out proserpinaca palustris, aka mermaid weed, an aquatic plant in which the green leaves can eventually fade into a variety of pink and gold tones, giving it a mystical, mermaid-worthy quality.