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Kalanchoe marmorata
Penwiper is a succulent shrub-like perennial from East Africa, grown for its marbled blue-green leaves and star-shaped white flowers. It is easy to grow if given bright light, sharp drainage and infrequent watering.
Kalanchoe marmorata, commonly known as the penwiper or spotted kalanchoe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae. It is a succulent perennial native to parts of central and East Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
The plant typically grows as an erect or decumbent shrub-like succulent to about 40 cm (16 in) in cultivation, but may reach up to 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in its natural habitat. It has fleshy, obovate to elliptic, glaucous leaves marked with irregular purple or brown blotches, giving a distinctive marbled appearance. Older plants often lose their lower leaves, leaving bare stems. The flowers are produced in upright inflorescences in late winter to spring and are star-shaped, white, and four-petalled, sometimes tinged with pale pink.
Kalanchoe marmorata is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant for its decorative foliage and flowers. It prefers bright light or full sun, well-drained soil, and infrequent watering. The minimum temperature for cultivation is approximately 12 °C (54 °F), and in temperate regions it is commonly grown under glass or as a houseplant.
Phytochemical investigations of Kalanchoe marmorata have identified a range of phenolic compounds and flavonoids in the leaves, including quercetin derivatives. These compounds are associated with antioxidant activity and have been studied in the context of traditional medicinal use of the genus Kalanchoe in Africa.
While several species of Kalanchoe are widely used in traditional medicine, documented ethnobotanical use of K. marmorata itself appears limited compared to more extensively studied species such as Kalanchoe pinnata.
Kalanchoe marmorata occurs naturally in rocky grasslands, open scrub, and stony slopes, often on hill ridges at elevations between approximately 1,250 and 2,400 m (4,100 and 7,870 ft). It is adapted to seasonally dry environments and is frequently found in areas subject to grazing pressure.
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Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Kalanchoe marmorata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
