Kalanchoe millotii

January 17, 2010

Pretty velvet plant, sometimes offered in the sale of flowers. This visitor from Madagascar. It is usually grown as a small bunch, but in nature it grows to 1 meter and produces a dense clump. If you spend a lot of plant care, you can make it very unusual bonsai. Kalanchoe millotii is growing shrubby, the stems and branches are significantly lower in the woody parts gradually.

The species is hardy shrub, forming dense, much branched cluster, of up to 1 meter. The whole plant is covered indumentem, consisting of dense, tiny, a star, white hairs. Cane stalk is tough, woody upright and gradually. The leaves are fleshy stems, based on a slightly enlarged, with a groove and the top 5 to 18 mm long. Leaf blade is flat, thick, fleshy consistency. Its shape is obovate, oval to round. The top is a rounded end and one sharp tooth. The base is cuneate, margins are irregularly toothed with broad ripple sharp teeth. Length of leaf blade is 3 - 6.5 cm and width the same size. The color is pure green leaves and gray-green. The inflorescence is more or less dense panicle chocholíkovitá, high 2-10 cm, erect bearing flowers. Flower stopečky are thick and 3-4 mm long. The cup is glandular hairy, with the color green to yellow-orange. Calyx tube is 4-5 mm long, triangular in shape with corners and sharp peak. They are 3.5 to 4.5 mm long and 3.2 to 3.5 mm wide. The crown is tubular and its color is yellow to orange. The corolla tube is cylindrical in shape, 9-11 mm long. Crown corners are linear-obdélníkovitý, ovoid to round shape and the peaks are sharp. Length of leaflets is 3-4 mm width and 2 - 2.5 mm. Sticks are founded by the Crown over the center tube and all tubes are above the neck. Anthers kidney-shaped with a yellow color and size around 0.7 mm. Lichoběžníkovitá nektaria are great and milled about 1 mm. Karpel are elongated, 7-9 mm long. The pistil is 2.5 to 3.5 mm large. The seeds are obovate shape and are great about 0.8 mm.

Kalanchoe millotii xerofytní occurs in the bush and dry forests of central and southern Madagascar.

Very thick hair leaves suggests that plant hates watering the leaves. Occasional rain will not harm her, but persistent rain atmospheric precipitation destroys its appearance and the leaves may begin to rot. In our central European conditions can give plants full sun, so will significantly silvery leaves. However, the plant needs more water, otherwise zamdlívají plants, stems bend and fall off leaves from the stalks. Fertilization is not necessary, but to grow large specimens need larger pots, at least 17 cm or more. Just Kalanchoe millotii demanding species, already for more experienced growers.

In winter the plants comply with temperatures above 10 ° C, the placement of the light station, and about once a month wetting of the substrate. Flowers impressed me much, so they are not trying. Suffice it to me velvety silvery beauty of the body.

Kalanchoe millotii Hamet & H. Perrier, Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot., Ser. 9, 16: 374 - 376 (1912)