Bryophyllum daigremontianum
Bryophyllum pinnatum
devil's backbone, maternity plant
air or life or curtain or Mexican love plant, floppers, live or good-luck or miracle or sprouting leaf, mother-in-law
mostly simple, terete, 5–25 dm × 0.5–2 cm.
little-branched, (suckering at base), terete, 5–20 dm × 0.5–2 cm.
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.
opposite, evenly spaced, the 1st simple, the rest mostly pinnate with 3 or 5 short-stalked leaflets;
petiole subterete, 20–100 mm;
blade and leaflets green streaked with purple, elliptic-oblong, 5–20 × 2–12 cm, margins crenate-serrate, apex obtuse, surfaces ± glaucous;
bulbils in notches of leaf margins.
5–15 mm.
10–25 mm.
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 yellow flecked with red, inflated, 25–50 mm, (papery), tube 24–40 mm, lobes deltate, to 10 mm, shorter than tube, apex acute;
corolla with tube greenish white and exserted portion maroon, 30–70 mm, contracted basally, (sparsely glandular-puberulent), lobes oblong-ovate to triangular, 10–20 mm, apex acuminate.
lax, paniculate, 1.5–3 dm diam.;
branches to 15 cm.
open, paniculate, 1–8 dm diam.;
branches to 12 cm.
= 38.
= 40.
Bryophyllum daigremontianum
Bryophyllum pinnatum
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.)
Bryophyllum pinnatum is common in southern Florida, as far north as Gainesville in good years but killed back in cold winters (Daniel Ward, pers. comm.). It is widely grown as an ornamental and curiosity and for medicine. It has been the subject of many physiological and anatomical studies (A. Berger 1930; P. Boiteau and L. Allorge-Boiteau 1995).
P. Knuth (1906–1909, vol. 2) quoted J. Delpino’s report of abundant nectar in the flowers and his suggestion of visits by hummingbirds—which, however, are not in Madagascar! Perhaps they are visited by sunbirds. On distal leaves J. H. Craft (1943) found nectaries that at flowering time secrete droplets high in glucose.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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