Kalanchoe hildebrandtii

January 10, 2010

The southwestern portion of the island of Madagascar has significant arid climate. This area is in the shadow of a crash monzumů coming here from the east. In xerofytní bush we can meet and Kalanchoe hildebrandtii. The species is distributed from the southwestern coastline to the south of the island. Here he meets with the closely related species K. bracteata. Resolution of these two species are listed in the article about K. bracteata. K. hildebrandtii itself in the surrounding formation Cane easily lost because it is also Cane mold growth, and sometimes reaches up to 4 m in height and is suitable for making bonsai.

Kalanchoe hildebrandtii trvalkový the bush. Reaching sizes up to 4m, quite densely covered with tiny hairs hvězdicovitými. The hairs are dvouklané or víceklané, strongly pressed against the epithelium plants and give it the bald look. Progressively more woody stem is strongly upright growth and branches. The leaves have a tubular stem with a groove on the upper side. The entire stem is 3-8 mm long. Letter from the greenish color and frosted .. Leaf blade is thick, stiff. Its shape is oval to round with a blunt and rounded top. The base is rapidly narrowing, the edge is intact. Leaf dimensions are 1.5 - 5 cm in length and 1 - 3.5 cm wide. The flowers form a loose panicles, reaching a height of 8-35 cm. Flower stopečky are 1.5 - 4 mm long. Flowers are erect, fleshy. The cup is green, the tube only 0.5 mm long, roughly triangular flaps are shaped, pointed, and from 1.2 to 2.5 mm long and wide. Crown is white, pale green to yellow. It has a bulb shape, hairy flexible trichomes. The tube is 3-5 mm long, tails are ovoid shape and the ends are blunt. Their length is 2.2 to 3.6 mm and width 1.6 - 2 mm. Sticks are established just above the center of the crown and tube are submerged below the mouth of the neck or slightly protruding above its level. Anthers have a kidney shape and length of 0.35 mm. Nectaries are more or less obdélníkovité, up to 1.5 mm long. Karpel have a length of 2.5 - 5 mm. Styles is only 1.5 mm high. Seeds, obovate shape.

Recently described by Rauh and Hebding (1997) variety 'glabra', but according to Dr. B. Descoings fits into the natural variability of the species.

Kalanchoe hildebrandtii is another species whose growth form is very suitable for succulent bonsai. In a culture slowly accrete significantly and branches. Plant at a young age, looks like a beautiful gray-green shrub.

Species tolerates sun sunburn, GUSTY watering and poor, sandy soil. The more the sun gets, the grayer leaves and more compact the growth. Who's afraid zaštipovat branches that branched shrub grown significantly and will be a lot of material for propagation. Kalanchoe hildebrandtii as succulent bonsai is better than Mr bracteata, because it has smaller leaves and shaped specimen is more like vzrostlému tree. Choosing the way of fertilizing stronger, more frequent watering and location of plants within the penumbra, we get a huge shrub. On the southwest coast localities appear stunted plant growth. It is caused by poor land more than further inland and grinding of new shoots constantly blowing winds that carry sand grains and sea salt crystals. Here are occurring shrubs grow to a maximum height of eight feet.

The plants will provide winter temperatures above 5 ° C. Immersed in the second half of the winter at elevated temperature of at least 10 ° C. Plants require lighter in winter habitat.

Kalanchoe hildebrandtii Baillon, Bull. Mens. Linn Soc. Paris 1 (59): 468 (1885)

Synonym:

Kalanchoe gomphophylla Baker (1887)

Kalanchoe hildebrandtii var. glabra Hebding & Rauh (1997)

Kork