Copper Spoon
Location
Cactus & Succulent Garden
- Common Name: Copper Spoons (other common names: Cinnamon Bear, Leather Plant, Shoe Leather Kalanchoe)
- Scientific Name: Kalanchoe orgyalis
- Family Name: Crassulaceae
- Origin: Madagascar
- Height: 3’ – 6’ (or more)
- Width: 8” – 16”
- Growth: slow growing (once it matures – it will grow faster)
- Zone: 9B – 11B
- Light Needs: Full sun to Partial shade (Strong southern light can burn tips of leaves)
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Soil/PH/Texture: is native to rocks and dry soils, will grow in ordinary potting mix or light soil, that is suitable for succulents.
- Soil Moisture: water moderately throughout the summer months when the surface of the soil is dry, and in the winter, you can almost let the soil dry out completely before watering. Make sure it is well draining soil or if in a pot it can drain well.
- Drought Tolerance: moderate
- Pests/Diseases: Powdery mildew, aphids
- Growing Conditions: easy to grow and low maintenance
- Characteristics: this succulent has a very unusual foliage color, felty cinnamon colored hairs on the upper surface and a bronze/gray on the leaves on the underside leaf surface. They are spatulate-ovate or spoon-like in shape and fold upward in the middle. The blooms are a bright yellow or pink of terminal clusters at the branches tips and appear in late winter – early spring.
- Propagation: by leaf or stem cuttings and seed (if using cuttings let them dry out a little bit in the shade a few days before putting it in the soil).
- Wildlife: unknown
- Facts: the leaves and roots are poisonous, but the flowers are the most toxic part of this succulent.
- Designer Considerations: excellent for xeriscaping, rock, succulent or cactus gardens, as a small accent plant or in containers for your patio or deck.