What the?? Anyone recognize this plant??

[tinypixiexoxo]

My friend has it, I was able to take a tiny pup from it for my own collection,

but what in the heck is it??


[img]https://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx173/tinypixiexoxo/Summer11036.jpg[/img]


It's cool because the underside of the big leaves have a tiger print pattern!!!

[nikki702]

Does it grow babies on the leaves? maybe its kalanchoe daigremontiana (mother of thousands) that has a pattern under the leaves too.
[img]https://imalbum.aufeminin.com/album/D20060616/197556_77KYDOQ423WCH51ECQ7GKZML8WHTOJ_kalanchoe_daigremontiana_H183315_L.jpg[/img]

[Green Mantis]

It looks like a small "mother of millions",, I have one a bit smaller. At least that's what it was sold to me as, and it does look like one. Your's looks the same.

[tinypixiexoxo]

Thanks, both of you.. I looked up "kalanchoe daigremontiana" and found only one picture of a plant that looked like the one my friend has.

The problem is, hers doesn't have those... offshoots on the leaves like 90% of the pictures of "mother of thousands" or "mexican hat plant" have.. Perhaps this one is young or sick??

I only have a small pup that I pulled from the soil surrounding the main stalk.. Hopefully it will grow healthy...

[Green Mantis]

Your's is young like mine, so I think, we have to wait till they grow up.

[tinypixiexoxo]

LOL then my little pup is even younger!!

Any special advice for caring?

[nikki702]

This is mine and its approx 6 months old and I water once a week, it lives on the windowsil

[img]https://i56.tinypic.com/j0uvs0.jpg[/img]

[tinypixiexoxo]

Oh my goodness! The leaves are much wider, flatter.. and have those lil thingies! What a difference between the two individuals!

[Green Mantis]

I was just thinking the same thing!!!!..........I think I need to put mine in more light. It's tall and weedy looking like your's. Maybe that's what's wrong? NIKKI702-------Do you fertilize your's? I did look close at mine, and it does have the striping, and is trying to get those little things on the leaves. Any ideas on how we can make our's stronger, and look as healthy as your's nikki702--???????

[nikki702]

I think maybe your ones are slightly different because when I have been looking online before I have seen lots that have thinner leaves, I don't fertilize mine just water once a week

If you google kalanchoe plantlets there are loads of different shapes and sizes

[Green Mantis]

nikki702.........I think you must be right, because mine certainly doesn't have leaves that wide and thick. But I thought they were all the same???
Do you have a picture of your's showing it standing up, not from the top down? Would be very interesting to see. Thanks so much. Obviously lots to learn!!! For me about the different types of these plants?

[nikki702]

I don't have a pic on my computer but will take one tomorrow and post it here for you to see...

I have also seen this plant listed before as devil's backbone (what a name)

[nikki702]

Here you go Green mantis a pic of my plant:-

[img]https://i55.tinypic.com/ofq16f.jpg[/img]

[applestar]

@tinypixie - I think yours need more light which will bring up the purplish coloration. I also think the soil looks too heavy (looks like topsoil?) If you look at the others, they are planted in somewhat gravelly mix (about 10-15% smallest aquarium gravel, 10-15% builder's sand. OR something like the patio paver underlayment which is a mixture of sand and gravel). The downward curling of the leaves I think is symptom of the heavy soil and struggling root system.

The babies will form by the "thousands" when the plant is happy and healthy.

I haven't had one in a while but when I did, It was kept a group with other sun-loving container plants, and the babies basically RAINED down on them and rooted everywhere.

(... I'm not sure that technically those babies can be called "pups" -- I believe "pups" are ground-level offshoots. I think there's another word for them that I can't remember at the moment.... It's driving me crazy! )

[nikki702]

I call them plantlets

[tinypixiexoxo]

Thank you.. No the "pup" that I took was actually taken from the ground, it looks like a little sprout. The pictures I put up was the "mother" plant from which I got my pup.

I will def. let her know about the soil. She said that she saved it from her work, who had like never watered it.. She dunked it under the faucet and a couple days later it perked back up and all the little ground shoots started coming up. So I think she breathed some life into the plant, but as you suggested, it needs proper soil.

So when the plant does mature, the leaves will form those little babies on the edges???

[tinypixiexoxo]

[img]https://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx173/tinypixiexoxo/Summer11053.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx173/tinypixiexoxo/Summer11052.jpg[/img]

This is my sprout. You can see from the original picture on this post where it came from.
[img]https://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx173/tinypixiexoxo/Summer11036.jpg[/img]

[Green Mantis]

nikki702........Mine is like your's but it is MUCH smaller, has the same colour etc. but I think I am going to re-pot it and put it where it gets more sun.

Because it's not real strong looking, but it's sending out new growth? I think I will experiment a bit here to see how it goes. Thanks so much for the picture. it's a beautiful healthy plant!!!

[RosemarieRo]

I believe it is Kalanchoe x houghtonii (previously Bryophyllum 'Houghton's Hybrid'). Leaf shape & size is different from K. daigremontiana. Yous is not in typical good health form, so it looks a bit different than the norm.