Gerald L. Klingaman
Family
Crassulaceae
Botanical Name
Kalanchoe
Plant Common Name
Flaming Katie, Panda Plant
General Description
There are about 125 species of succulents which make up genus Kalanchoe. They may be annuals, perennials or biennials and have spreading, mounding, shrubby, climbing or tree-like habits. Species are widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and China. A few have escaped from cultivation and have become naturalized in The New World. Kalanchoes are favorite succulent ornamentals for interior and garden use.
These plants typically have fleshy stems of thick, leathery alternating leaves. Leaf surfaces may be smooth and waxy, fuzzy or even hairy. The shape can be simple or pinnate (feather-like) and the leaf edges smooth, scalloped or toothed. Bloom time varies, but the flowers are produced in clusters on branched stems. The four-lobed blooms may be tubular, bell- or urn-shaped and swollen in the middle. Flower colors include yellow, white, red, pink, or orange. The fruit is a seed filled follicle.
Popular for their showy blooms, foliage and easy culture, there are hundreds of species and varieties of Kalanchoe grown. Flowering kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana), a Madagascar native with thick, glossy, oval-shaped leaves, is a favorite landscape and florist plant. Outdoors it flowers in late winter and spring, but greenhouse grown specimens bloom at all times of the year. Paddle plant kalanchoe (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora) is a native of the Cape region of South Africa and bears large, thick pancake-shaped leaves of soft blue-green with irregular edges of orange-purple-red. It provides interesting texture in beds and containers and is a striking indoor specimen for locations with hot, full sun. Lavender scallops (Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi) is a spreading succulent that produces long branches of toothed metallic blue gray leaves. This native of Madagascar forms a dense ground cover with striking coral blooms in the late winter or spring.
Each species has specific cultural requirements and different hardiness ranges. Most are easy to grow; some can become so successful they may escape from cultivation and become invasive. Generally, full sun and soils with excellent drainage are preferred. Many kalanchoes are drought tolerant once established, but most prefer regular applications of water while in active growth. These succulents tend to be frost tender and may be grown in containers, greenhouses, sun rooms or as annuals where not hardy.
