Plant Name
Scientific Name: Kalanchoe pinnata
Synonyms: Bryophyllum pinnatum, Cotyledon pinnata
Common Names: Air Plant, Cathedral Bells, Miracle Leaf, Life Plant
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Subshrub, Herb/Forb
Hawaii Native Status: Introduced. This naturalized ornamental garden plant and medicinal herb is native to Madagascar.
Flower Color: Dull red. The more conspicuous sepals are yellowish green tinged with red or dull pink in color.
Height: Up to 6 feet (1.8 m) tall
Description: The pendent flowers are on short, lateral branches on tall, upright, chandelier-like flower stalks. The individual flowers are tubular, 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, enclosed in papery, inflated, green to reddish pink sepals, and have 4 red, narrowly triangular lobes. The flowers dry on the plant and gradually turn a light papery brown color. The leaves have scalloped, dark maroon margins and are green, succulent, opposite, and mostly pinnately compound with 3 to 5 elliptic leaflets. New baby plants can form along the edges of the leaves.
Here in Hawaii, Air Plant grows wild in dry to moist areas at lower elevations.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Rosales
Family: Crassulaceae – Stonecrop family
Genus: Kalanchoe Adans. – widow's-thrill
Species: Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. – cathedral bells
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