Origin and Habitat: Southwestern Madagascar
Habitat: Kalanchoe rhombopilosaSN|27792]]SN|27792]] grows in dry bushy areas usually in shaded places.

• Kalanchoe rhombopilosa Mannoni & Boiteau

• Kalanchoe rhombopilosa Mannoni & Boiteau
• Kalanchoe rhombopilosa var. argentea Rauh
• Kalanchoe rhombopilosa var. alba hort.
• Kalanchoe rhombopilosa var. viridifolia Rauh
• Kalanchoe rhombopilosa var. viridis hort.

Description: Kalanchoe rhombopilosaSN|27792]]SN|27792]] is a dainty small Kalanchoe, one of the smaller growing species of the genus, with branching silvery stems mottled brown. The leaves are rhombic or fan shaped with spectacular coppery-brown markings, largely covered with silvery-white scurf, the outer margin beige with acute teeth. Several forms exist with no to abundant markings. The flowers are inconspicuous greenish-yellow with red lines.
Habit: It is a perennial, few branched, succulent shrublet 10-20(-30) tall.
Roots: Fibrous, short (10 cm).
Stems: Thin (about 8 mm in diameter), rigid, woody, upright or sprawling with long hairs.
Leaves: Small, about 2-3 cm long, fleshy, rigid, alternate, or opposite on 1-3 mm long petioles. Leaf blade, slightly woolly, obovate to more or less triangular, slightly concave at the top, convex at the bottom 2-3 mm thick, bluish, grey, silver-green, green-yellow or olive green with numerous dark green, wine-red or coppery-brown spots or spotless (depending on clones). The parts exposed to the sun tends to take a silvery brown tinge and are mottled with contrasting dark brown spots while those in the shade are greener with dull green dots. The leaf blade is rounded at the tip and irregularly notched or sinuate, the base is strongly narrowed and wedge-shaped. The leaves are are very fragile and detaches at the minimal touch.
Inflorescence: Paniculate, 8-12 cm tall slender, branched and glabrous.
Flowers: Pedicel upright 1.2-2.5 mm long. Calyx tube yellow-green, 0.2 to 0.3 mm long ending in circular to oblong lobes that are 1.2-1.5 mm long and 1.2-1.4 mm wide. Corolla greenish yellow to pink with purple lines. Corolla tube 3.5-4 mm long with ovate, blunt lobes 2-3 mm long and 1.5-2 mm in width. Stamens protruding attached just above the middle of the corolla tube. Anthers ovate, about 0.6 mm in length, yellow. Nectar-glands almost square about 0.4 mm across. Carpel 3-3.5 mm long. Style about 2.5 mm long.

Bibliography: Major referencens and further lectures
1) Clive Innes “Complete Handbook of Cacti and Succulents” Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 01/Dec/1981
2) Alfred Byrd Graf “Exotica, series 4 international: pictorial cyclopedia of exotic plants from tropical and near-tropic regions” Roehrs Co. Publishers, 1982
3) Boiteau, P & Allorge-Boiteau, L., "Kalanchoe de Madagascar" Karthala. 1995
4) Notulae Systematicae. Herbier du Muséum de Paris. Phanérogramie. 13:153 1947
5) Bernard Descoings “Kalanchoe rhombopilosa.” In: Urs Eggli “Sukkulenten-Lexikon. Crassulaceae (Dickblattgewächse).” Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 178–179, 2003
6) Eggli, U. "The Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants; Crassulaceae." Berlin: Springer-Verlag. 2003
7) Jacobsen, H. “Lexicon of Succulent Plants.” Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press. 1970 (Trans. Lois Glass 1977).
8) Rauh, W., “Xerophytic and Succulent Plants of Madagascar” Vols. 1 & 2,. Strawberry Press. 1995 and 1998
9) Raven, P. et al. "The Biology of Plants", W.H. Freeman and company. New York,. p. 135 2005
10) Sajeva, M. & Costanzo, M. "Succulents: The Illustrated Dictionary" Timber Press. 1994

Cultivation and Propagation: Kalanchoe rhombopilosaSN|27792]]SN|27792]] is a popular plant among landscape designers because of attractive colours and texture of the plant. It is very easy to cultivate and makes an interesting plant in any collection and is rewarding. It is also easy to take care as indoor plant. Since it doesn't get very large it's an easy plant to move inside/outside.
Potting mix: They thrive in nutrient poor soils consisting of equal parts of loam and sand, with pumice or lava grit added to ensure good drainage.
Exposure: Plant in full sun along the coast to a light shade inland.
Watering: It needs moderate watering in autumn and spring while in summer it should be watered thoroughly and allowed to dry before watering again. In winter give only occasional watering (only when the plant starts shriveling), but it will generally grow even in winter if given water. These plants will survive on neglect. Over-watering is the most common cause of plant failure.
Frost resistance: Prefers warm temperatures, minimum winter temperature 5° C.
Uses: It makes a nice landscape plant in warmer climates because it does not require much maintenance. In colder climates, Kalanchoe rhombopilosaSN|27792]]SN|27792]] can be grown as outdoor pot plant in summer and a nice indoor accent plant in winter.
Propagation: Easily propagated by a single leaf. Place a healthy leaf on top of the soil and watch it grow. This plant loses its leaves easily but starts new plants just as easily. Kalanchoe rhombopilosaSN|27792]]SN|27792]] is a slow grower. Worth the wait! They are very fragile but do not despair each leave that may fall will start a new plant.