The Mexican Flame
ITS botanical name is Senecio confusus, but this plant is popularly known as the Mexican Flame Vine, or the Senecio vine, and it has acquired the reputation of being the nectar bar for hummingbirds and butterflies. The term Senecio confusus, when translated, means “confused old man”, allegedly referring to the vine’s habit of rampant growth.
Unfortunately, the Senecio vine is a rarity in Guyana, not only for hummingbirds and butterflies, but humans as well.
Regrettably, this has not always been the case. Local horticulturalists remember a time long gone when the Mexican Flame Vine was a common sight in Georgetown gardens, its bright, daisy-like flowers exciting humans, birds and insects alike.
In recent years, the Senecio has gone the way of the chrysanthemum, dahlia, carnation, anthurium lily, and the sandpaper vine as almost, if not altogether, “extinct” in Guyana.
Local horticulturalists who remember the Mexican Flame in its heyday in Guyana, particularly in Georgetown, would love to see this plant once again flowering perennially in gardens.
The main difficulty is that the seeds are not available locally, but would have to be imported.

Characteristics
Senecio confusus is a member of the daisy family (Asteraceae) — fast-growing ever blooming and insect attracting. As the name indicates, the vine originated in Mexico. It is said that for sheer beauty, this plant is a winner, hands down.
The plant is a vigorous climber, and possesses thick, evergreen leaves, whose deep-green colour provides a rich background for brilliant orange, daisy-like flowers borne in clusters. Normally rayed, the flower’s heads are borne in branched clusters somewhat in appearance like the fingers of a human being.
The bright orange blossoms are approximately one inch in diameter, and as they age, they change from orange to almost red.

Utility
Unsupported, the Mexican flame vine allegedly grows in a confusion of piled up stems that eventually form a sprawling shrub, which can also be used as a dense groundcover if allowed to go without regular trimming or control.
Moreover, it is useful as a drape over porch rails, or even mailboxes, thanks to its drought-resistant qualities and very low-maintenance requirements.
Furthermore, it offers the best choice for improving the visual charm of chain-link fences, and can also be planted in mixed hedges to create splashes of bright colour. It looks great clambering up the trunk of the palm or pine tree.
Butterflies love it, and if you love daisies or sunset colours, you will, too.

Cultivation
If you can get the seeds, this plant is good for beginners, since it is drought-resistant and is hardly bothered by any pest.
Minimum care of this plant is allegedly rewarded with impressive floral displays.