Elephant's ear

Description

Kalanchoe beharensis (commonly known as elephant's ear kalanchoe, felt bush, or feltbush) is a plant species in the succulent genus Kalanchoe, and the family Crassulaceae. Kalanchoe beharensis is native to Madagascar. Kalanchoe beharensis is an evergreen shrub, 3–5 ft (1–2 m) tall. The stem is about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) long, slender and knotted. Leaves are olive green, triangular-lanceolate shaped, decussately arranged (pairs at right-angles to each other) with leaf margins that are doubly crenate (crinkled). Each leaf is about 10 cm (4 in) long and 5–10 cm (2–4 in) wide. The bottoms of the leaves are glabrous (smooth and glossy), and covered with a woolly hair towards the apex. The leaf hairs are brown, and the tips of the teeth are darker. The hairs on the stem, younger leaves, and petioles (leaf stalks) are white. A sign of older leaves is concavity on the upper surface. Inflorescences are 50–60 cm (20–24 in) high, forming a branched corymb. Flowers are on short pedicels (stalks). The calyx is 7 mm long with lobes that are oblong and acuminate (tapering to a point). The corolla tube is urn-shaped and 7 mm long. Blooming occurs from spring to summer, and flowers are small and yellowish. The types of trichome present on the leaves of Kalanchoe vary among the different species. The different types of trichomes are an indicator of adaptation to a particular environment. On the leaf blade of K. beharensis there are trichomes of the non-glandular, bushy three-branched type. This type of trichome is dead, with evidence of tannin. K. beharensis trichomes are also characterized by striped cuticular ornamentation on their surface. Glandular trichomes are also present on the leaves, with more on petioles than on leaf blades, and more on the top of the leaf as opposed to the bottom. Kalanchoe arborescens is a species of Kalanchoe, native to Madagascar. Kalanchoe 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. Kalanchoes require direct sunlight although they can survive with bright indirect sunlight. They only need to be watered when the soil is completely dry. Most are shrubs or perennial herbaceous plants, but a few are annual or biennial.