Kalanchoe Fire Rainbow is a beautiful hybrid that has ivory margins on vibrant green leaves and blush neon pink. It grows upward like a tree shrub with gaps in between the leaves. The original natural habitat of this species is central-southern Madagascar. Needs well-draining soil, water thoroughly when soil is dry. Protect from frost; hardiness at 35F degrees.
Habit: It is a low-growing, untidy, erect to spreading ramified, perennial succulent herb. It is frost-tender, polycarpic and grows to about 40 cm tall and half as wide.
Stems: Non flowering stems round, terete, succulent, 25–30 (or more) cm tall, smooth and lax with visible leaf scars, suberect often bending to touch the ground where they produce roots and a new plant, by the time of blossoming the branch curves upwards rising up to about 40 cm. The flowering branch withers once the fructification is completed, but produces at the base one or two lateral prostrate sterile branches, 8-40 cm long that take root wherever they lie on the ground, also through the emission of robust and rigid aerial roots, which at the end will produce in their turn a flowering branch; in this way, with the time, the plant may remarkably expand.
Leaves: Opposite, evenly spaced, simple, thick and fleshy, glabrous (hairless) oval or obovate (2-)3-5(-10) cm long and 1-3(-8) cm broad , tapering towards the base, waxy, bluish-green or lavender-grey glaucous. Leaf margins edged in cream, scalloped instead of toothed often pink or red, apex obtuse. Petiole terete, 1–6 mm long. Bulbils borne mostly in notches of leaf margins on damaged or fallen leaves.
Inflorescences (Cymes): Terminal corymbiform 15-30 cm tall, to 15 cm in diameter often multi-layered in good conditions, branches to 5 cm long carrying numerous and drooping flowers. Pedicels 5–15 mm long.
Flowers: 2.5-3 cm long tubular-campanulate, nodding, with a short green-yellow violet-flecked calyx (10-)15-18(-20) mm long edged with delta-shaped segments 4–7 mm long, the calyx is shorter than the tubular corolla and inflated. The corolla is a brownish-pink color formed by a 18-25 mm long tube contracted basally, and four obovate, lobes.5–8 mm long, apex obtuse to rounded.
Fruits: 4 clustered follicles containing numerous tiny seeds.
Phenology: It flowers in winter-spring.
Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz
Growth Rate
Sun Exposure
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Kalanchoe |
| Common Name | Rainbow plant |
| Family | Crassulaceae |
| Genus | Kalanchoe |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Native Area | hybrid of Kalanchoe Longiflora |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun (6+ hrs.), Partial shade (3–6 hrs. sun) |
Growers Quick Reference Guide - Key Features
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Kalanchoe |
| Common Name | Rainbow plant |
| Family | Crassulaceae |
| Genus | Kalanchoe |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Native Area | hybrid of Kalanchoe Longiflora |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun (6+ hrs.), Partial shade (3–6 hrs. sun) |
- Description
- Key Plant Features
Kalanchoe Fire Rainbow is a beautiful hybrid that has ivory margins on vibrant green leaves and blush neon pink. It grows upward like a tree shrub with gaps in between the leaves. The original natural habitat of this species is central-southern Madagascar. Needs well-draining soil, water thoroughly when soil is dry. Protect from frost; hardiness at 35F degrees.
Habit: It is a low-growing, untidy, erect to spreading ramified, perennial succulent herb. It is frost-tender, polycarpic and grows to about 40 cm tall and half as wide.
Stems: Non flowering stems round, terete, succulent, 25–30 (or more) cm tall, smooth and lax with visible leaf scars, suberect often bending to touch the ground where they produce roots and a new plant, by the time of blossoming the branch curves upwards rising up to about 40 cm. The flowering branch withers once the fructification is completed, but produces at the base one or two lateral prostrate sterile branches, 8-40 cm long that take root wherever they lie on the ground, also through the emission of robust and rigid aerial roots, which at the end will produce in their turn a flowering branch; in this way, with the time, the plant may remarkably expand.
Leaves: Opposite, evenly spaced, simple, thick and fleshy, glabrous (hairless) oval or obovate (2-)3-5(-10) cm long and 1-3(-8) cm broad , tapering towards the base, waxy, bluish-green or lavender-grey glaucous. Leaf margins edged in cream, scalloped instead of toothed often pink or red, apex obtuse. Petiole terete, 1–6 mm long. Bulbils borne mostly in notches of leaf margins on damaged or fallen leaves.
Inflorescences (Cymes): Terminal corymbiform 15-30 cm tall, to 15 cm in diameter often multi-layered in good conditions, branches to 5 cm long carrying numerous and drooping flowers. Pedicels 5–15 mm long.
Flowers: 2.5-3 cm long tubular-campanulate, nodding, with a short green-yellow violet-flecked calyx (10-)15-18(-20) mm long edged with delta-shaped segments 4–7 mm long, the calyx is shorter than the tubular corolla and inflated. The corolla is a brownish-pink color formed by a 18-25 mm long tube contracted basally, and four obovate, lobes.5–8 mm long, apex obtuse to rounded.
Fruits: 4 clustered follicles containing numerous tiny seeds.
Phenology: It flowers in winter-spring.
Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz
Growth Rate
Sun Exposure
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Kalanchoe |
| Common Name | Rainbow plant |
| Family | Crassulaceae |
| Genus | Kalanchoe |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Native Area | hybrid of Kalanchoe Longiflora |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun (6+ hrs.), Partial shade (3–6 hrs. sun) |
Growers Quick Reference Guide - Key Features
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Kalanchoe |
| Common Name | Rainbow plant |
| Family | Crassulaceae |
| Genus | Kalanchoe |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Native Area | hybrid of Kalanchoe Longiflora |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun (6+ hrs.), Partial shade (3–6 hrs. sun) |
