“Panda plant”

I happened to be in the greenhouse when Rich was watering the “benches” in the succulent house. I ask if the brown edges of this plant were an indication of some kind of distress. No, he said. This is the Panda plant; isn't it cool?

Cool, indeed. If you can spare the time, the magnified version shows more detail of the dense white-silver felt of plant hairs known as “trichomes.”

“Kalanchoe tomentosa has been a cultivated houseplant for many years since it remains as a relatively compact, sturdy, and hardy plant under the unfavorable plant growing conditions in homes. … The dense covering of plant hairs performs a vital function for the plant in the form of water conservation. This plant is found in the wild only on Madagascar. In the dry environment in which it lives, Kalanchoe tomentosa must conserve what little water it can absorb from the soil. The dense mat of hairs growing from the leaf retards the movement of air directly across the leaf surface, thereby reducing water vapor loss (transpiration). The ‘dead-air’ space created by the numerous trichomes insulates the leaf from its harsh external environment, too. In addition, the white-silver appearance of the leaves reflects light, lessening the chances of the leaves overheating” http://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-ombrello/POW/panda_plant.htm

From DavesGarden — http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1182 — “All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested”

At PhytoImages
Species page: http://phytoimages.siu.edu/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?taxon_name=Kalanchoe_tomentosa&rank=binomial

This image: http://phytoimages.siu.edu/imgs/paraman1/r/Crassulaceae_Kalanchoe_tomentosa_77458.html

Photo taken at SIUC Plant Biology Greenhouse, http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/facilities/plant-biology-facilities/greenhouse/index.php

One year ago (“Well *this* was an ordeal”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-10-25
Two years ago (“Ahhh — Autumn Ablaze!”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-10-25

25th October 2013 25th Oct 13