Kalanchoe longiflora

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Saxifragales

Familia: Crassulaceae
Subfamilia: Kalanchoideae
Genus: Kalanchoe
Species: Kalanchoe longiflora
Name

Kalanchoe longiflora Schltr. ex J.M.Wood, Natal Pl. 4: t. 320 1903.
Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Africa
Regional: Southern Africa
South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal)

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Schlechter, F.R.R. , 1903. Natal Plants...Durban 4: t. 320.

Links

Hassler, M. 2019. Kalanchoe longiflora. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 November 28. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Kalanchoe longiflora in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 November 28. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Kalanchoe longiflora. Published online. Accessed: November 28 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Kalanchoe longiflora. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 November 28.
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. [1]

Vernacular names
English: tugela cliff-kalanchoe, long-flower kalanchoe

Kalanchoe longiflora, also known as tugela cliff-kalanchoe or long-flower kalanchoe, is a species of the succulent genus Kalanchoe, in the family Crassulaceae. An obscure shrub native to South Africa, it is known for its multi-coloured foliage and yellow flowers, which bloom in autumn to winter.[1]

Distribution
Potted plant

A cliff-denizen, the plant is mainly found on rock edges and shale slopes at an altitude of 800-1700m, in the central Tugela catchment basin, from Tugela Ferry to Muden, in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. This species is named for its protracted corolla tubes: longiflora which translates to 'long flowered' from the Latin longus meaning long, and floreo flower.[2]

A vulnerable and rare plant,[3] Kalanchoe longiflora is elusively known and is currently found in less than five regions which are proximate to compactly populated areas, thus degrading the surrounding natural areas due to grazing, trampling and agriculture. Nonetheless, the fact that this plant prefers rocky sites, it would be protected by most human-caused damages and, as such, its population is stable.[4]
Description
Budding flowers.

Heat and drought tolerant, its leaves can transform from a deep green to crimson depending on the environment. A thin shrub up to 400mm high, its quadrangular, fleshy but woody-based, branches lie on the ground with its tips growing upward.[1] Having fibrous roots, its leaves are fleshy a limpet shell-shaped with rounded tip and teeth, and the base is wedge-shaped. The leaves are a showy, light, bluish grey-green, cloaked in a waxy blossom, with the edges and aged leaves being pinkish to reddish brown.[5]

Yellow flowers appear on its capitulum between late autumn and winter, which are made up of four petals coalesced into an lengthened tube 11-14mm long with disseminating, thin triangular lobes 2-3mm long.[6]

The plant can be confused with Kalanchoe sexangularis, but should be differentiated by its four-angled stems, grey patelliform leaves, and its longer corolla tube. Further, the stems of K. sexangularis stems are cylindrical to irregularly ridged and its corolla tube is 7-10mm long.

Cultivation

Appropriate for containers, rock gardens, groundcover, prolonged walls an arid gardens, the plant would grow well on well-drained porous soil on clay pots and would need abundance of airflow, bright light or full sun. It is to be watered when its soil is dry to the touch and it must be protected from frost.[1] If grown in a cooler, shadier spots, the plant will not display the ruddy colouration of the leaf tips as powerfully, and it will also incline to have larger leaves. Moreover, routine watering and feeding with compost will make the plant sturdier and a rapid grower.[7]

Propagation

Propagated by cuttings, it can be planted immediately in the soil or instantly in the garden and will root without the need of rooting hormone or mist.[8] The plant is easily propagated by a single leaf that a fallen stem piece on the ground would root promptly on soil. This is an adaptation to survive treading by surrounding animals, or rocks falling on them.[1]

References

Urs Eggli (6 December 2012). Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Crassulaceae. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 416–. ISBN 978-3-642-55874-0.
Court, D. (2010). Succulent flora of southern Africa. Revised edition. Struik Nature , an imprint of Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town.
"Kalanchoe longiflora". Red List of South African Plants. 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2018. Listed as Vulnerable
Descoings, B. (2003). Kalanchoe. In: U. Eggli (Ed.), Illustrated handbook of succulent plants:Crassulaceae: 143–181. Springer Verlag, Berlin.
Von Staden, L. & Dayaram, A. 2011. Kalanchoe longiflora Schltr. ex J.M.Wood. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2013.1.
Hutchings, A. 1996. Zulu Medicinal Plants, an inventory . University of Natal Press, Pietermaritzburg.
Jackson, W.P.U. 1990. Origins and Meanings of Names of South African Plant Genera . UCT Printing Department, Cape Town.
Leistner, O.A. (ed.). 2000. Seed plants of southern Africa: families and genera. Strelitzia 10. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.