Potted plant that grows tiny leaping dolphins is the latest botanical muse to enchant Japan

06:07 cherishe 0 Comments

Adorable houseplant is a relative of the hot dog cactus.

Earlier this month, we were charmed by photos of a potted plant with sprouts that look like cute little bunnies flashing victory signs. But the plant kingdom isn’t done imitating the animal one, as Japanese Twitter is now abuzz with appreciation for the Senecio peregrinus.

Senecio peregrinus is a succulent. For those of you who can’t hear the word “succulent” without mentally tacking on “roast chicken,” in botanical terms it means that Senecio peregrinus belongs to the category of plants that store liquid within themselves, giving certain parts of their form an enlarged or fleshy quality.

Cacti, for the most part, are succulents, but the Senecio genus is actually part of the daisy family. What’s more, whereas cacti are intimidatingly prickly, Senecio peregrinus is invitingly adorable, because it looks like a pod of tiny leaping dolphins!

As a matter of fact, Senecio peregrinus looks so much like the beloved sea mammals that an alternate name for the plant in Japan is “dolphin necklace,” as pointed out by Twitter user @kao77neko.

▼ The resemblance holds up no matter which angle you look at them from.

As explained by fellow Senecio peregrinus fan and Twitter user @imohukuro1, the plant is actually a cross between the Senecio articulates and Senecio rowleyanus plants, which are respectively also known as the “hot dog cactus” and “string-of-pearls” for their distinctive shapes.

▼ It’s just like we remember from math class: hot dogs plus pearls equals dolphins (we may not have passed the final exam).

Online reactions have included:

Totally makes you do a double-take!
What is this cuteness?
This…is wonderful.
So cute! I want one! Iyasareru!

And so the dolphin necklace gets to bask in Japan’s kawaii spotlight, because even if cuteness doesn’t grow on trees in the country, it apparently grows in pots.

Sources: Twitter/@kao77neko, Togetter
Featured image: Twitter/@kao77neko



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