CRASSULACEAE

Kalanchoe delagoensis

Mother of Millions

WildflowersDeclared Invasive

Local Context

An exotic often used in water sparse gardens, but has "escaped into the bush" in several cases, especially near the Southern Cross School

Identification

Growth: Upright, unbranched succulent (up to 1.5 m) with grey-pink mottled stems.
Leaves: Narrow, pencil-like, cylindrical and spotted; tip notched with tiny clone plantlets.
Flowers: Large, hanging bell-shaped clusters at top of stem, bright salmon-orange to red.
Texture: Fleshy, smooth, and hairless throughout.

Did You Know?

In its native southern Madagascar, Kalanchoe delagoensis plays a starring role in an incredible primate survival story. While the succulent produces lethal cardiac toxins that kill cattle and pets around the world, wild ring-tailed lemurs and sifakas rely on it as a critical lifeline. During severe droughts when all water holes dry up, these lemurs turn to the plant as a desperate fallback food, using specialized digestive adaptations to process the heart-stopping chemicals and safely drink the moisture locked inside its pencil-like succulent stems.

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