Scientific Name
Kalanchoe delagoensis Eckl. & Zeyh.
Common Name(s)
Chandelier Plant, Mother of Thousands, Mother of Millions
Synonym(s)
Kalanchoe tubiflora, Kalanchoe verticillata, Kalanchoe delagoensis, Bryophyllum tubiflorum, Bryophyllum verticillatum, Bryophyllum delagoense, Geaya purpurea
Scientific Classification
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sedoideae
Tribe: Kalanchoeae
Genus: Kalanchoe
Flower
Flower Color: Orange to scarlet
Bloom Time: Winter
Description
Kalanchoe delagoensis is a perennial succulent plant that reproduces asexually through small plantlets borne at the ends of each leaf. The stem is erect, up to 3.3 feet (1 m) tall, often with short sterile shoots at the base. Leaves are simple, usually ternate, sub-cylindrical, up to 6 inches (15 cm) long, and up to 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) wide. The lower surface is sulcate, often spotted with reddish-brown margins near the apex and with 3 to 9 conical teeth between which spoon-shaped bulbils are produced.
Due to intense vegetative reproduction, this plant rarely blooms, but well-grown larger specimens can flower profusely in winter. The trumpet-shaped flowers are orange to scarlet, up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) long, and dangle in clusters from the top of the plant.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 10a to 11b: from 30 °F (−1.1 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
It is easy to grow the Chandelier Plant. It is so easy that you must learn to control its spread as part of caring for Chandelier Plants. Growing Kalanchoe delagoensis can be worth all this trouble when you know how to keep it under control, especially when the orange blooms appear.
For those with more hospitable conditions, learning to grow Kalanchoe and keep it within bounds may include growing it in a large container or even as a houseplant. At the same time, drought and heat-resistant, the plant is also adaptable to moist growing conditions and will often recover from a mild winter freeze.
Chandelier Plant care often includes removing small plants that have jumped from the container into the ground or another pot. This happens because the Chandelier Plant forms small plantlets at the ends of the leaves. When these are dislodged, they immediately take root and begin growing in any available soil. Therefore, removing them from unwanted areas is integral to caring for Chandelier Plants.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Kalanchoe.
Origin
Kalanchoe delagoensis is native to Madagascar.
Links
- Back to genus Kalanchoe
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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