Kalanchoe luciae
Paddle plant, desert cabbage, flapjack, paddle kalanchoe, red pancakes
Paddle plant is a native of South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. It is not native to the Americas.
Plants: Erect, up to 5′ (1.5 m) high. This species is the most common, and most commonly cultivated. Plants die after flowering.
Leaves: Obovate to orbiculate, flat, thick, and sometimes heart-shaped. Leaves are up to 9 ⨉ 6″ (23 ⨉ 15 cm) in size. Leaf edges are often tinged with red in winter and often entirely red in summer. Leaves have a chalky green coating.
Flowers: Flowerheads (inflorescences) occur on slender spikes, has pale yellowish-green flowers. Spikes are up to 1′ (30 cm) high. Flowers are tubular, up to ⅜″ (1.2 cm) long, with hairy sepals that are ~3/16″ (5–6 mm) long. Planrts rarely flower indoors.
Fruits: This species reproduces by creating offsets, or by seed, and can also be propagated via leaf or stem cuttings.
Habitats: From the north-central escarpment of Limpopo and Mpumalanga and north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa and Swaziland; in grassland and bushveld habitats, usually in rocky situations or exposed slopes and hilltops.
Edibility: Not edible. Potentially poisonous to some animals.
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Similar species. |
Online References:
Debraleebaldwin.com Debra Lee Baldwin knows more about Kalanchoe species than most of us know about the entire plant kingdom.
References:
Court, Doreen, Succulent Flora of Southern Africa, Struik Nature, Cape Town, South Africa, 2010, p. 92
1/5/2026 · South Africa · By Benjamin Winslow 
ID is uncertain 
2/3/2024 · Heather and Katie's, Holbrook, Massachusetts ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Rosales | Rose family and eight others |
| Family | Crassulaceae | Succulents that store water in leaves |
| Genus | Kalanchoe | Modern Latin, from French, based on Chinese gāláncài |
| Species | luciae | Honors Mademoiselle Lucy Dufour, an acquaintance of the French botanist and physician Raymond Hamet, who described this species |
Kalanchoe luciae description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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