ABSTRACT
Senecio (Asteraceae) is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. “Senecio-Cruentus Hybriden” has been suggested as collective name. The Grandiflora group is usually early, the Multiflora group late. Cineraria tolerates low temperatures and low light intensities and is therefore a traditional pot plant for winter production in Europe. LD treatment led to early flowering, but also to increased stem elongation and thus inferior plant quality. Seeds are sown in late summer/early autumn; the plants are kept cool until midwinter when potting takes place. Attempts have been made to shorten the length of the cultural period and to obtain better “timing”. Removing leaves, thus obtaining plants with different total leaf area, revealed that the earliest flower initiation was obtained in plants having the largest leaf area. Cultivars differ in growth habit, height of plant, size and color of flower heads, doubleness, and earliness “
