🌱 Morphology

Kalanchoe elephant ear ‘Maltese Cross’. It is a horticultural cultivar of Kalanchoe beharensis, selected for its more compact habit and, above all, for the geometric arrangement of its leaves around the stem, which resembles a Maltese cross.

It forms a succulent, erect, and progressively woody stem that can branch with age. The leaves are fleshy, triangular, petiolate, with irregularly wavy and toothed margins, and are covered by a fine pubescence that gives them a characteristic velvety appearance. The coloration varies from grayish-green to silvery gray; under intense light, it can acquire bronzed or reddish-brown tones.

The most distinctive feature is the arrangement of the leaves around the stem, which can create an almost cruciform structure when viewed from above. Occasionally, arrangements of three leaves may appear instead of the usual symmetry.

🌍 Distribution, habitat and family

Crassulaceae family. ‘Maltese Cross’ is a horticultural cultivar, so it does not have an independent natural distribution.

Its parent species, Kalanchoe beharensis, is endemic to Madagascar, especially the southern and southwestern regions, where it grows in xerophytic forests and dry environments, on different types of soil.

❄️ Temperature

USDA Zone 9b

It is a plant adapted to warm and dry climates. It tolerates cool temperatures if the substrate remains dry, but it should not be exposed to frost. It can tolerate a minimum temperature of -2°C, but only very occasionally.

For safe cultivation, it is recommended to protect it when temperatures approach 5–7 °C, especially if there is moisture in the roots. A temporary drop may be tolerated by well-acclimatized and completely dry adult specimens, but resistance depends on the duration of the cold and, above all, the moisture of the substrate.

☀️ Lighting

It needs high light intensity to maintain compact growth, a good leaf structure, and its characteristic silvery-gray coloration.

Approximate DLI PAR: 15–25 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹.

It tolerates direct sun after gradual acclimatization. Intense lighting also promotes the appearance of bronzed or reddish tones in the leaf pubescence. In summer, with extremely high temperatures, it may be advisable to provide light protection during the middle hours without significantly reducing brightness.

💧 Growth cycle and watering

Summer dormancy. It grows mainly during periods of moderate temperatures, while extreme heat can slow down its activity.

It is recommended to perform heavy watering and let the substrate dry out completely before watering again. During winter, if temperatures are low, watering should be spaced out considerably.

The combination of cold and wet substrate should be especially avoided, as it increases the risk of root problems.

🌸 Flowering

Adult specimens can produce large, branched terminal inflorescences, similar to those of the parent species.

The flowers are small and numerous, with a tubular or urn-shaped corolla in yellowish, yellow-orange, or reddish tones, although flowering is not the main ornamental value of this cultivar. In K. beharensis, flowering occurs mainly from spring to early summer.

In Spain, an approximate window from April to June is reasonable for adult specimens grown under high light intensity.

🌿 Nutrition

During the active growth period, Desert CHOICE® Succulents is recommended, applied moderately and avoiding excess nitrogen that promotes overly rapid growth and soft tissues.

Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering, especially in adult specimens with sufficient lighting.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

13x13 cm pot