Kalanchoe sect. Bryophyllum

Bryophyllums
The "Goethe Plant", Kalanchoe pinnata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Kalanchoe
Section: Bryophyllum
Species

Roughly two dozen, see text.

The Bryophyllums (from the Greek βρῦον/βρύειν bryon/bryein = sprout, φύλλον phyllon = leaf) are a section in the plant genus Kalanchoe of the Crassulaceae family. There are about twenty to thirty species in the group, native originally of South Africa, Madagascar, and Asia. The group is notable for vegetatively growing small plantlets on the fringes of the leaves; these eventually drop off and root. These plantlets arise from mitosis of meristematic-type tissue in notches in the leaves.

Nowadays, bryophyllums are naturalised in many parts of the tropics, either deliberately cultivated originally for their attractiveness and interesting reproduction. Some species are toxic, containing plant acids, bufadienolide alkaloids,[1] calcium oxalate etc, and have become noxious weeds in parts of the world. In the native range of some of these Kalanchoe species in the Karroo region of South Africa, they are abundant enough that they cause disease in livestock, known as krimpsiekte ("shrinking disease") or as cotyledonosis.[2]

There are many hybrids, e.g. Kalanchoe × crenatodaigremontiana (K. crenata × K. daigremontiana) or Houghton's Hybrid (B.daigremontianum × B.delagoensis).

Contents

Selected species

The three most commonly cultivated species are:

Some other species in this section are:

Vernacular names

Many names: Mother of Thousands; Mother of Millions; Devil's Backbone; Pregnant Plant, Mexican Hat Plant; Flopper; Sotre-Sotry; Air Plant; Miracle Leaf; Sprouting Leaf; Sprout Leaf Plant; Leaf of Life; Resurrection Plant; Canterbury Bells; Cathedral Bells; Mexican Love Plant; Life Plant; Floppers; Good Luck Leaf; Lifeplant; Mexican Love Plant; Mother in Law; Tree Of Life; Hawaiian Air Leaf; Monkey Ears; Monkeys Ear...

USES

  1. ^ Steyn & van Heerden (1998)
  2. ^ Welham, Marina: How Dangerous are Euphorbias? (And Others in the Family Euphorbiaceae) with some comments on dangerous plants in the families Agavaceae, Aizoaceae, Apocynaceae, Compositae, Crassulaceae, Liliaceae. The Amateur's Digest. Retrieved 2007-SEP-19.

Treats sores on the body.

References

External links