Paddle Plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora): Flapjack Succulent with Red Lips

Overview

Paddle Plant, also called Flapjack or Desert Cabbage (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora), forms a basal rosette of large, flat, paddle-shaped leaves coated in a white, powdery bloom. The leaf margins turn a brilliant coral-red in full sun and cool temperatures, looking like painted lips. In late winter to spring, mature plants send up a tall spike of fragrant, tubular yellow flowers. After blooming, the rosette dies but produces offsets. A striking architectural succulent for containers, rock gardens, and modern landscapes.

Key Features

• Foliage: Large, flat, rounded leaves; white powdery coating; red margins.
• Flowers: Yellow, tubular, fragrant, on tall spike; late winter/spring.
• Habit: Rosette, 12–18 in tall; monocarpic (blooms once, then offsets).
• Color: Best red margins in full sun and cool nights.

Care Guidelines

Light

Full sun to light shade. Red margins need sun.

Water

Low. Water when soil dry. Avoid water on leaves (removes bloom).

Soil

Well-draining succulent mix. Gritty, sandy soil.

Propagation

Offsets or leaf cuttings. Easy.

Taxonomy

Family:	Crassulaceae
Genus:	Kalanchoe (kal-un-KOH-ee)
Species:	thyrsiflora (thur-SEE-flor-uh)