Cotyledon orbiculata is an extremely variable species, one that grows to approximately 1.3 m (4.3 ft) in height.

Ironically, water (as dew, marine layer/fog, mist, rain, or even garden hose or hand-watering), does not seem to wash the farina off, and it reappears again as the leaves are drying.

[3] The bell-shaped flowers, which appear in winter, are usually a blood orange-red or a paler salmon-orange; yellow varieties also exist.

This diverse species includes a large number of hybrids and cultivated forms, some of which may show a distinct resemblance to Kalanchoe thyrsiflora or K.

In the wild, it grows naturally in rocky outcrops in grassy shrubland and the Karoo region.

[2] However, the leaves contain a bufanolide called cotyledontoxin, which is toxic to sheep, goats, horses, cattle, poultry, and dogs, causing a condition known as cotyledonosis.