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devil's backbone, maternity plant

mananasilaitra

Habit Herbs, monocarpic, purple-mottled, glaucous. Herbs, monocarpic, white-mealy, glaucous or not.
Stems

mostly simple, terete, 5–25 dm × 0.5–2 cm.

mostly simple, round, to 7 dm × 1.5 cm.

Leaves

opposite, evenly spaced, simple, largest subpeltate;

petiole subterete, 1–5 cm;

blade purple-blotched abaxially, triangular to lanceolate, 5–25 × 3–12 cm, margins serrate, apex acute, surfaces glaucous;

bulbils borne in notches of leaf margins, spurs spoon-shaped.

subrosulate, crowded near base, simple;

petiole indefinite, broad, with clasping base;

blade green or gray-green, sometimes with maroon or dark green blotches, lanceolate, 15–50 × 5–10 cm, margins sinuate to coarsely crenate, apex acute, surfaces mealy, glaucous or not;

bulbils borne in notches of leaf margins, rooting while still attached.

Pedicels

5–15 mm.

5–15 mm.

Flowers

calyx green or purplish, not inflated, 6–10 mm, tube 3–4 mm, lobes triangular, 3–7 mm, equaling or longer than tube, apex acute;

corolla pink or lavender, 20–30 mm, not contracted basally, lobes obovate, 6–12 mm, apex rounded, apiculate.

calyx pale green, inflated, 18–25 mm, tube 13–15 mm, lobes deltate, contracted basally, 5–10 mm, shorter than tube, apex acute;

corolla yellow-green marked with violet-red, 40–50 mm, contracted basally, (sparsely glandular-puberulent), lobes triangular-ovate, 8–11 mm, apex acuminate.

Cymes

lax, paniculate, 1.5–3 dm diam.;

branches to 15 cm.

open, corymbiform, 2 dm diam.;

branches to 8 cm.

2n

= 38.

= 34.

Bryophyllum daigremontianum

Bryophyllum gastonis-bonnieri

Phenology Flowering winter. Flowering winter.
Habitat Waste ground, mesquite-cactus thickets Disturbed areas
Elevation 0 m (0 ft) 0 m (0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; TX; Indian Ocean Islands (Madagascar) [Introduced in North America]
from FNA
FL; Indian Ocean Islands (Madagascar) [Introduced in North America]
Discussion

Bryophyllum daigremontianum is well established and an aggressive weed in southern Florida and in coastal southern Texas. M. G. Groner (1975) found that exudates of its roots can inhibit the growth of nearby plants, as can extracts of its shoots. The entire plant contains bufadienolides and is toxic to cattle (R. A. McKenzie et al. 1987).

The hybrid Bryophyllum daigremontianum × B. delagoense is much like B. daigremontianum but with narrower leaves; some specimens identified as B. daigremontianum may possibly be the hybrid. The hybrid is widely naturalized in Queensland.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Apparently, Bryophyllum gastonis-bonnieri is or was established only locally in Florida, on Sanibel Island.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 159. FNA vol. 8, p. 161.
Parent taxa Crassulaceae > Bryophyllum Crassulaceae > Bryophyllum
Sibling taxa
B. delagoense, B. fedtschenkoi, B. gastonis-bonnieri, B. pinnatum
B. daigremontianum, B. delagoense, B. fedtschenkoi, B. pinnatum
Synonyms Kalanchoë daigremontiana Kalanchoë gastonis-bonnieri
Name authority (Raymond-Hamet & H. Perrier) A. Berger: in H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. ed. 2, 18a: 412. 1930 , (Raymond-Hamet & H. Perrier) Lauzac-Marchal: Compt. Rend. Hebd. Séances Acad. Sci., Sér. D 278: 2508. 1974 ,
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