unidentified plant

by Ron Anderson
(Gatton, Queensland, Australia)

It has broad leaves and when it flowered it produced a single very long vertical stalk covered with small white flowers


Drought Smart Plants reply:

This is one of my favorite plants - the botanical name is Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, which is such a mouthful that most people call it 'Flapjacks' which are a type of pancake if you don't know.

Funny common names are a great way to remember the names of plants, as they're usually descriptive and interesting, and sometimes only used locally. This is why it's also good to know the botanical name, as this is the same world wide, whether you're speaking Swahili, French or any other language.

Another interesting and characteristic trait is the production of a mealy white substance on the stems especially, which is also a key to this plants identification.

I find Kalanchoe thyrsiflora extremely easy to propagate; I simply cut off the top rosette, and leave it to dry off - amazingly, it will produce roots even without any soil or water, surviving on only the moisture it has stored in the fleshy leaves.

See more about this easy to grow plant here: Kalanchoe
thyrsiflora Flapjacks

Happy Succulent Gardening!
Jacki


Also see this page for more on how to care for succulent plants in general: Succulent Care and more about Succulent Plant Propagation or buy the Succulent Plant Propagation E-Book.