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niksouthafrica

Need an ID please

9 years ago

This has been growing in my back garden on the rock formation. I have no idea what it is but I doubt it is an indigenous SA plant. Excuse the unclear pictures, it is rather overgrown out there but I am working on it

You can see the reddish flower stalk in this picture - flowers are white, somewhat like a yucca flower





Comments (15)

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In first photo (close-up of the leaves), it looks like one of the kalanchoes. I am thinking Kalanchoe prolifera. It grows tall, could reach as much as 8feet. Opposite leaves. Flowers are supposedly greenish-yellow-orange, you say yours are white?

    I can't see flowers well enough to help - can you take a close-up pls? Maybe I am completely wrong...

  • 9 years ago

    That will have to be tomorrow, it's dark now but I will try, thanks

  • 9 years ago

    Looks like a Kalenchoe:). Maybe K. pinnata?

    pic from internet.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It does look very like K. Pinnata but what my pictures don't clearly show - that plant is still young - the leaves are not on separate stalks and the larger the plant, the more the leaves are joined. I picked one and some unopened flowers, it's not yet ready to flower, they look like this. The flowers are white, not red like K. Pinnata. It also doesn't self-propagate through leaflets that form on the leaf margins

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Why don't you compare here...


    and from net - Kalanchoe prolifera leaves by F. Fabri:

    niksouthafrica thanked rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
  • 9 years ago

    That's the one! Thank you!

  • 9 years ago

    As I suspected, it's listed as an invasive species in our country. Going to be pulling out plants tomorrow

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Many kalanchoes are invasive in climate like yours. I do keep K. daigremontiana (Mother of thousand) in the garden and let it die in winter (too cold for it here). But I would not if it could take the freezing temps :)

    Too bad - yours looks like interesting looking plant.

  • 9 years ago

    Sadly the invasives are very out of hand in my part of the world. I don't let myself get sentimental about them and I'd prefer not to be contributing to the problem. It's listed as a category 1b meaning you are obliged to remove it. Some categories are considered ok for garden use but to be controlled outside of gardens but not this one

  • 9 years ago

    I totally agree with you Nik...I would remove any invasive plant too. There are too many out there even here in Canada that are creating lots of problems.

  • 9 years ago

    Now I see the true invasive potential of this plant: I pulled it all out on July 5 and cleaned up all stray leaves (I thought) Today, I found this leaf fragment regenerating. It makes plantlets on its leaf tips if it has to


  • 9 years ago

    Typical of many kalanchoes...It is obviously problem in areas where they are hardy. In my area it is NP since any left outdoors will freeze.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Is this one of those "Mother of Thousands" or "Mother of Millions"? That's what it reminds me of. Little planlets forming all along the edges of every leaf. Seems like once you had one of those you would NEVER be rid of them. No, thank you...

    Good luck, Nik.

    Tyler

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Many kalanchoes reproduce by growing 'babies' from leaf margins - some very many, some less. There are approx. 125species, and some are very prolific. K. delagoensis and K. diagremontiana are both referred to as Mother of Thousands (or millions :). Most other sp will reproduce very easy from any cuttings. Plantlets will grow from leaves just laying around like in post above, but not as many as two mentioned. K. prolifera is not as bad - but in warm climate may be considered invasive (like Nik posted before).

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