🌱 Morphology
Perennial succulent subshrub, glabrous, up to about 50 cm. The stems are erect and branch from the base; the flower stems may start prostrate, root in contact with the substrate, and then grow upright. The leaves are opposite, petiolate, green to bluish-green, generally with a reddish margin. The blade is ovate, approximately 2–6 × 1.5–3.5 cm, with a sometimes clearly auriculate base and a highly crenate margin. Bulbils may appear on the teeth of the margin, a characteristic feature of its group. It is a species that is quite variable in size, leaf coloration, and flowers.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Family Crassulaceae. Species accepted by Kew, native to central and east-central Madagascar, where it grows on rocks and in dry or xerophilous scrubland environments. Populations are known from the vicinity of Antananarivo to areas in south-central Madagascar, even at altitudes of about 2,300 m.

❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 9b
Tolerates relatively cool temperatures when kept dry, although occasional tolerance should not be confused with the safe minimum growing temperature. For container cultivation, it is recommended to protect it from persistent frosts and keep the substrate dry during cold spells. Its origin includes high-altitude localities, which explains a greater adaptation to cold than that of some other tropical species of Kalanchoe.

☀️ Lighting
Intense lighting is recommended, with a target of 15–25 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ of PAR DLI during growth. High radiation promotes compact stems and enhances the reddish, purplish, or brown tones of the margins. Gradual acclimatization is advisable before exposing cultivated plants grown in low light to intense sunlight.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Opportunistic. It grows mainly during periods of moderate temperatures, taking advantage of seasons with water availability. In cultivation, it is recommended to water abundantly when the substrate is completely dry and then allow it to dry out completely before watering again. During winter and extreme heat spells, watering frequency should be reduced, avoiding constant moisture around the roots.

🌸 Flowering
Produces dense terminal inflorescences, of a cymose-cimbiform type, on peduncles that can reach about 50 cm. The flowers are pendulous, with a greenish-yellow, orange-red, or purplish calyx and a tubular corolla of highly variable color: red, purple-red, pink, orange, orange-yellow, or pale yellow. In Spain, flowering can mainly be expected between autumn and spring, depending on temperatures and the cultivation regime. Madagascar herbarium records show flowering at different times of the year, reflecting its geographical variability.

🌿 Nutrition
It is recommended to use Desert CHOICE® Succulents, applied during the active growth period. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering to promote the development of the inflorescences.

This is an inimitable xerophyte cultivated in Madrid in a high-tech square pot with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi.

Core collection plant in a 9x9 cm pot