Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

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Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
Kalanchoe blossfeldiana 3.jpg
Dark red cultivar
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Kalanchoe
Species:
K. blossfeldiana
Binomial name
Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
Synonyms [1]

Kalanchoe globulifera var. coccinea H. Perrier

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a commonly cultivated evergreen house plant of the genus Kalanchoe native to Madagascar. It is known by the English common names flaming Katy, Christmas kalanchoe, florist kalanchoe [2] and Madagascar widow's-thrill. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy and naming

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is in the Kalanchoe section of the Kalanchoe genus, with a description of the plant published in 1934 (Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 35:159). [4] Regarding the etymology of the binomial, Adanson adapted the generic name Kalanchoe from 'Kalanchauhuy', a Chinese name for one species recorded by Georg Joseph Kamel, a botanist and Jesuit missionary to the Philippines. [5] [6] [7] The Oxford English Dictionary states that it is "based on [the] Chinese 伽藍菜 gāláncài", [8] whilst the Collins English Dictionary merely restates the claim that the generic name was derived from the local Chinese name for one of the species. [9] The specific epithet blossfeldiana is in tribute to German hybridiser and botanist Robert Blossfeld, who first introduced the plant to the rest of the world in 1932. [10] The common name Christmas Kalanchoe comes from the plant's flamboyant and colourful blooms in winter. [11] [12]

Description

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana - flower view 01.jpg

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a glabrous, [11] bushy, evergreen and perennial succulent plant which (in 2–5 years) [13] can reach an ultimate height of between 30 and 45 cm (12 and 18 in) [2] and an ultimate spread of between 10 and 50 cm (4 and 19.5 in). [13] K. blossfeldiana has a round habit and a moderate plant density; its growth rate has been described as 'slow'. [14] The plant has green, [13] shiny and textured glossy foliage [2] which stays green all year round. [13] The scallop-edged and ovate leaves are arranged in an opposite/subopposite fashion, are simple in type with crenate margins and an oblong shape. [14] The arrangement of the veins in a leaf (venation) can be absent or very hard to see; the leaf blades are 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long. [14] K. blossfeldiana flowers in late autumn to early winter; each flower has four petals and can be one of a wide variety of colours, from the dark reds and pinks to oranges, golds and whites. K. blossfeldiana is a short-day plant, meaning that its blooming cycle is regulated by the amount of sunlight it receives each day. The plant will bloom when it is receiving approximately 10 hours of daylight and 14 hours of darkness for 6-8 weeks. [15] The ovary is tetracarpellary and apocarpous while stamens are four in number and are epipetalous. [2] The inflorescences are borne by peduncles which are higher up than the leaves and are terminal in nature. [16] Parts of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana are poisonous if ingested. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is native to Madagascar, where the plant can be found growing in the relatively cool plateaus of the Tsarantanana Mountains; K. blossfeldiana in this environment grows in humus soil. [17]

Ecology

While generally disease-free, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana can be damaged by pest insects such as Otiorhynchus sulcatus (vine weevil) or mealybugs. [13]

Cultivation

With a minimum temperature of 10 °C (50 °F)K. blossfeldiana requires the protection of glass during the winter months in temperate locations. It needs to be in a cool, partially shaded spot. However, it may be placed outside in summer. In the UK It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [18] [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Crassulaceae, also known as the stonecrop family or the orpine family, are a diverse family of dicotyledon flowering plants characterized by succulent leaves and a unique form of photosynthesis, known as Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). Flowers generally have five floral parts. Crassulaceae are usually herbaceous but there are some subshrubs, and relatively few treelike or aquatic plants. Crassulaceae are a medium size monophyletic family in the core eudicots, among the order Saxifragales, whose diversity has made infrafamilial classification very difficult. The family includes approximately 1,400 species and 34–35 genera, depending on the circumscription of the genus Sedum, and distributed over three subfamilies. Members of the Crassulaceae are found worldwide, but mostly in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Africa, typically in dry and/or cold areas where water may be scarce, although a few are aquatic.

<i>Pachypodium lamerei</i> Species of plant

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<i>Kalanchoe</i> Genus of flowering plants in the stonecrop family

Kalanchoe, also written Kalanchöe or Kalanchoë, is a genus of about 125 species of tropical, succulent plants in the stonecrop family Crassulaceae, mainly native to Madagascar and tropical Africa. A Kalanchoe species was one of the first plants to be sent into space, sent on a resupply to the Soviet Salyut 1 space station in 1979. The majority of kalanchoes require around 6–8 hours of sunlight a day; a few cannot tolerate this, and survive with bright, indirect sunlight to bright shade.

<i>Pieris</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants in the heath family Ericaceae

Pieris is a genus of seven species of shrubs in the flowering plant family Ericaceae, native to mountain regions of eastern and southern Asia, eastern North America and Cuba. Known commonly in North America as andromedas or fetterbushes, they are broad-leaved evergreen shrubs growing to 1–6 metres tall and 3–10 ft (0.9–3.0 m) wide. The leaves are spirally arranged, often appearing to be in whorls at the end of each shoot with bare stretches of shoot below; they are lanceolate-ovate, 2–10 cm (0.8–3.9 in) long and 1.0–3.5 cm (0.4–1.4 in) broad, leathery textured, and with an entire or serrated margin. The young leaves in spring are typically brightly coloured. The flowers are bell-shaped, 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long, white or pink, and arranged in racemes 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in) long. The fruit is a woody capsule which splits into five sections to release the numerous small seeds.

<i>Impatiens walleriana</i> Species of flowering plant

Impatiens walleriana, also known as busy Lizzie, balsam, sultana, or simply impatiens, is a species of the genus Impatiens, native to eastern Africa from Kenya to Mozambique. The Latin specific epithet walleriana honours a British missionary, Horace Waller (1833–1896).

<i>Hyacinthus orientalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Hyacinthus orientalis, the common hyacinth, garden hyacinth or Dutch hyacinth, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to southwestern Asia, southern and central Turkey, northwestern Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century. It is widely cultivated everywhere in the temperate world for its strongly fragrant flowers which appear exceptionally early in the season, and frequently forced to flower at Christmas time.

<i>Kalanchoe beharensis</i> Species of succulent

Kalanchoe beharensis is a plant species in the succulent genus Kalanchoe, and the family Crassulaceae. Kalanchoe beharensis is native to Madagascar known by local names mongy, rongy and tavitavy.

<i>Ilex aquifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae

Ilex aquifolium, the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. It is regarded as the type species of the genus Ilex, which by association is also called "holly". It is an evergreen tree or shrub found, for example, in shady areas of forests of oak and in beech hedges. In the British Isles it is one of very few native hardwood evergreen trees. It has a great capacity to adapt to different conditions and is a pioneer species that repopulates the margins of forests or clearcuts.

<i>Bryophyllum</i> Section of genus Kalanchoe, in the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae, subfamily Kalanchoöideae)

Bryophyllum is a group of plant species of the family Crassulaceae native to Madagascar. It is a section or subgenus within the genus Kalanchoe, and was formerly placed at the level of genus. This section is notable for vegetatively growing small plantlets on the fringes of the leaves; these eventually drop off and root. These plantlets arise from mitosis of meristematic-type tissue in notches in the leaves.

<i>Euphorbia milii</i> Species of plant

Euphorbia milii, the crown of thorns, Christ plant, or Christ's thorn, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, native to Madagascar. The species name commemorates Baron Milius, once Governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821.

<i>Kalanchoe daigremontiana</i> Succulent plant native to Madagascar

Kalanchoe daigremontiana, formerly known as Bryophyllum daigremontianum and commonly called mother of thousands, or Mexican hat plant, is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. Like other members of Bryophyllum, it can propagate vegetatively from plantlets that develop on its leaf margins, as well as through upshoots from lateral roots, and seeds. All parts of this species contain a very toxic steroid known as daigremontianin.

<i>Kalanchoe thyrsiflora</i> Species of succulent

Kalanchoe thyrsiflora is a species of flowering plant native to Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and Eswatini. This plant is rare in cultivation, and those plants labelled as "Kalanchoe thyrsiflora" in horticulture are mostly another similar species, Kalanchoe luciae.

<i>Kalanchoe delagoensis</i> Species of succulent

Kalanchoe delagoensis, formerly known as Bryophyllum delagoense and commonly called mother of millions or chandelier plant, is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. Like other members of Bryophyllum, it is able to propagate vegetatively from plantlets that develop on its leaf margins.

<i>Kalanchoe pinnata</i> Succulent plant native to Madagascar

Kalanchoe pinnata, commonly known as cathedral bells, air plant, life plant, miracle leaf, and Goethe plant, is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. It is a popular houseplant and has become naturalized in tropical and subtropical areas. The species is distinctive for the profusion of miniature plantlets that form on the margins of its leaves, a trait it has in common with some other members of Bryophyllum.

<i>Kalanchoe rhombopilosa</i> Species of succulent

Kalanchoe rhombopilosa is a succulent plant species in the family Crassulaceae. This species of plant is endemic to southwest Itampolo, Madagascar. The species was described by Mannoni & Boiteau in 1947 and is indexed in Notul. Syst. (Paris) 13:153-154, (1947). The plant is a herbaceous perennial that grows to 10–20 cm in height.

<i>Oscularia deltoides</i> Species of succulent

Oscularia deltoides, the deltoid-leaved dewplant, dassievygie or sandsteenvygie is a species of flowering succulent plant in the fig-marigold family Aizoaceae that is native to the south-western Cape, South Africa.

<i>Kalanchoe manginii</i> Species of succulent

Kalanchoe manginii, beach bells, is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae, native to Madagascar. It is an evergreen succulent perennial growing to 30 cm (12 in) tall and wide, with arching branches of rounded, glossy leaves, and urn-shaped salmon-red flowers in spring. As the minimum temperature for growth is 10 °C (50 °F), in temperate regions this plant must be grown under glass as a houseplant.

<i>Kalanchoe marmorata</i> Species of plant

Kalanchoe marmorata, the penwiper, is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae, native to Central and West Africa, from Zaire to Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia. It is an erect or decumbent succulent perennial growing to 40 cm (16 in) tall and wide, with glaucous leaves spotted with purple, and starry white, four-petalled flowers, sometimes tinged with pink, in spring. As the minimum temperature for cultivation is 12 °C (54 °F), in temperate regions it is grown under glass as a houseplant.

<i>Kalanchoe pumila</i> Species of plant

Kalanchoe pumila, the flower dust plant, is a species of flowering plant in the stonecrop family Crassulaceae, native to Madagascar. Growing to 20 cm (8 in) tall and 45 cm (18 in) wide, it is a spreading, dwarf succulent subshrub with arching stems of frosted leaves, and clusters of purple-veined pink flowers in spring. As the minimum temperature for cultivation is 12 °C (54 °F), in temperate regions it is grown under glass as a houseplant.

<i>Kalanchoe <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> poincarei</i> Species of succulent

Kalanchoe × poincarei is a species of Kalanchoe native to southern Madagascar. Its scientific name is often misapplied to K. suarezensis and K. mortagei, but K. × poincarei is very different from them. The true K. × poincarei is a natural hybrid involving K. beauverdii, with similar sprawling stems up to 3 m in length, and not known in cultivation, whereas K. suarezensis and K. mortagei are erect, 30~60 cm tall and cultivated as ornamentals.

References

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  7. Baldwin Jr., J. T. (October 1938). "Kalanchoe: The Genus and its Chromosomes". American Journal of Botany. 25 (8): 572–579. doi:10.2307/2436516. JSTOR   2436516.
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  9. "kalanchoe". Collins English Dictionary . Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
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  15. "How to Get a Florist Kalanchoe to Rebloom". World of Succulents. 1 October 2018.
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  17. "Plants & Flowers » Kalanchoe blossfeldiana". PlantsRescue. 16 August 2013. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
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  19. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal HorticulturalSociety. July 2017. p. 56. Retrieved 14 March 2018.