Otherwise called the canine tongue, paddle plant or desert cabbage, the flapjack plant — Kalanchoe luciae — is a tropical succulent that’s frequently mis-labeled below the Latin title Kalanchoe thyrsiflora. This third-largest member of the family Crassulaceae is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant-hardiness zones 10b-1 1, even though it is developed across the California coastal area as an indoor decorative plant.

Origin and Title

Native to South Africa, Swaziland and northern parts of Zimbabwe, the flapjack plant’s title is equally mysterious and marred by confusion. The title “Kalanchoe” is considered by some to be derived in the Chinese phrases “Kalan Chauhuy,” meaning “that which falls and grow.” The Others postulate the real meaning comes in the Indian phrases “kalanka” and “chaya,” which suggest “rust” and “glossy.” “Luciae” pays homage to Mademoiselle Lucy Dufour, a buddy of French botanist Raymond Hamet. For many years, California growers referred even though the plant is Kalanchoe because it unscented blooms and bears leaves.

Appearance

The title “flapjack” was whimsically bestowed to the K. luciae due to the plant’s paddle-like, big leaves which can be stacked at the top of one another, similar to a stack of flapjacks. The annuals attain heights of 2-feet increase in clumps and bear little, yellow flowers that grow in clusters near the stalk. The leaves develop upward to reduce sun-damage and, if exposed to sunlight, type pink-ish and red rings round the edges.

Care

Plant your flapjack in well-drained show and soil in partial to full sunlight, knowing the more you expose the plant to the sunlight, the redder the leaves will be. If expanding the plant indoors, use cactus potting mix because of its fast- qualities. Allow the soil to dry completely before offering further dampness to avoid root rot, although provide the plant having a wholesome drink of water. The plant tolerates temperatures that are cooler, but have to be moved indoors in the unusual occasion the thermometer drops below 27 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pests and Weeds

Discourage weed development all around your flapjack plant by since the the surrounding soil with mulch, even though the University of Tennessee suggests maintaining the item obvious of the plant’s stem. Root rot, which happens when the plant is over-watered or exposed to moisture- soil, is prevented by enabling the soil to dry completely between watering. Slugs and snails can degrade the leaves’ look. Deter them by within the the s Oil round the plant with diatomaceous earth or eliminate the mollusks by hand a-T evening when they’re most lively.