The story of the Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a nice one, at least in our household it is. Over the years I was often given one of these plants, and that in a variety of colours, red, white, yellow and rose mainly, but one year I received one with orange flowers, a real beauty!  In fact they were all beauties.  They fitted in alright with my other houseplants but I soon realised that the kalanchoe has something special, a strong will of its own, it grows how it wants, and rightly so.  After it has finished flowering for the first time, I cut away all the large leaves.  It then goes into its dormant period for a while.  Eventually it starts to grow again and quickly show flower buds, they take long before they bloom open.  The leaves it now produces are a lot smaller, growing into lovely rosette patterns.  The stems grow of course depending on the light source.  I leave my Kalanchoes (5) outside all summer but protect them from too much rain.  I take them in during the autumn as they are not frost tolerant.  I love seeing them coming into flower year after year.  At times the colours of the flowers change, for example, my orange one never became orange again. As the years go by they are inclined to grow into very individual and interesting shapes.

Kalanchoe is actually a genus of around 125 species of tropical, succulent flowering plants.  They are native to Madagascar and tropical Africa.  I was surprised to read that the plant we call ‘mother of thousands’ is also a type of kalanchoe. 

Although the genus kalanchoe was first described in 1763 by the French botanist Michel Adamson, it only became generally available and was commercialized in the 20^th century after botanist Robert Blossfeld brought it to Germany and Paris.  He found it growing in the cool region of the Tsarantanana Mountains in Madagascar.  I know it to be a very adaptable plant.

Of interest is that Kalanchoe plants belong to the stonecrop (Crassulaceae) family. 

The plant has been used in folk medicine, but is also studied in scientific circles.  Co-incidentally a friend of ours in Tamil Nadu (South India) sent me a photo only recently of a flowering Bryophyllum Pinnatum which is also classed a subgenus within the genus kalanchoe.  Bryophyllum is a group of plant species also of the family Crassulaceae and is native to Madagascar.  Apparently these plants are used not only against kidney stones but in folk medicine are known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-histamine properties, also used for cancer treatment.  Especially mentioned were the Kane and Kurichiyar Tribal Communities of Kerala.  In Ethiopia this genus of plants is or was used for wound healing or tooth ache.  In the Philippines as a muscle relaxant.  For cats and dogs the Kalanchoe plant is toxic by the way. 

A little clarification about Kalanchoe plant classification: 

Crassulaceae is the family

Kalanchoe is the genus

Bryophyllum is the section or subgenus

Kalanchoe blossfeld is the species (and that is the species in the photos above and below).

The kalanchoe plant is known as a symbol of persistence and eternal love. In China where it is also a popular plant it is favoured at the New Year for its connection to prosperity.