Mother of thousands

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Mother-of-Millions
• devil's-backbone
• Alligator Plant
• Devil's Backbone
• Mother of Thousands

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Bryophyllum daigremontianum

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and is classified under the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Saxifragales, it is specifically situated within the family Crassulaceae. It is further identified by its genus, Kalanchoe, and its species name, Kalanchoe daigremontiana.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific geographical distribution concentrated within the Mediterranean region of Southwestern Europe. It can be found growing naturally across various territories, including the islands of Baleares, Corse, and Sardegna. Furthermore, its presence extends to the mainland areas of both Portugal and Spain. These diverse locations highlight the plant's preference for the unique coastal and island environments of the southwest. Consequently, its range is defined by these specific European maritime locations.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Kalanchoe daigremontiana is characterized by its adaptation to lowland environments, where it thrives in diverse ecological niches. This species typically maintains an elevational range with a mean altitude of approximately 1600 m AMSL, allowing it to occupy specific altitudinal belts within its native or naturalized territories. Its presence in these lowland habitats often involves a high degree of resilience to varying moisture levels, utilizing its specialized physiological traits to persist in environments where resource availability may fluctuate.

Elevational range mean:

1600 m AMSL

Habitat :

Lowland

Life history

The life history of Kalanchoe daigremontiana is characterized by its classification as a perennial, allowing the plant to persist through multiple growing seasons. In terms of its growth habit and structural positioning, it is categorized as a chamaephyte, meaning its regenerative buds are located near or just above the soil surface, which contributes to its robust and spreading nature. This life form, characterized as both a chamaephyte and a perennial, enables the species to effectively colonize environments and maintain long-term stability within its ecological niche.

Life form :

chamaephyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Kalanchoe daigremontiana is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb and forb. This terrestrial species, which functions independently as a non-parasitic plant, typically reaches a plant height ranging from a minimum of 0.3 m to a maximum of 1 m. The plant exhibits an ascending shoot orientation and is self-supporting rather than acting as a climber, liana, or vine. It is strictly a terrestrial organism, lacking any epiphytic or aquatic tendencies, and maintains a succulent, non-woody structure throughout its development.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1 m

Plant height min:

0.3 m

Shoot orientation :

ascending

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Kalanchoe daigremontiana is characterized by highly specialized adaptations for water conservation and efficient resource management. As a succulent, the plant possesses thickened tissues designed for significant water storage, a trait essential for its survival in arid environments. This succulence is supported by a Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) photosynthetic pathway, which allows the plant to fix carbon dioxide at night to minimize transpirational water loss during the heat of the day. Morphologically, the plant features an opposite leaf arrangement, with elliptic leaf forms that vary significantly in size; individual leaves can range from a minimum length of 1 cm to a maximum of 18 cm, with widths ranging from a mean and minimum of 2.5 cm up to a maximum of 5 cm. Furthermore, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on the availability of nitrogen within the soil substrate to support its metabolic processes.

Leaf arrangement :

opposite

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf length max:

18 cm

Leaf length min:

1 cm

Leaf width max:

5 cm

Leaf width mean:

2.5 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

CAM

Succulence :

yes

Reproduction

The reproduction of Kalanchoe daigremontiana is characterized by a versatile strategy that includes the presence of asexual reproduction. The plant produces inflorescences in the form of a panicle, which bear flowers that typically exhibit a grey coloration. These flowers vary in size, with lengths ranging from a minimum of 1.8 cm to a maximum of 2.3 cm. The flowering period is quite extensive and variable, generally starting in December and concluding in May, though it can span across various months of the year. Regarding its seeds, the mass is extremely minute, with a mean, minimum, and maximum value all recorded at approximately 1e-05 g. The dispersal syndrome of the plant is classified as unspecialized, encompassing various methods such as anemochorous, zoochorous, autochorous, hydrochorous, and other unspecialized modes of movement.

Dispersal syndrome :

unspecialized

Flower colour :

grey

Flower length max:

2.3 cm

Flower length min:

1.8 cm

Flowering time :

Dec

Flowering time :

May

Inflorescence :

panicle

Reproduction asexual :

present

Seed mass mean:

1e-05 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Kalanchoe daigremontiana has 1 reported plant parts identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf.

Leaf

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

Chemicals

Kalanchoe daigremontiana has 18 reported phytochemicals identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include kaempferol, quercetin, 19-oxodesacetylcinobufagin, 4''-O-Acetylafzelin, 9,12,13-TriHOME.

kaempferol

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
2. Planta medica

quercetin

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
2. Planta medica

19-oxodesacetylcinobufagin

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

4''-O-Acetylafzelin

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

9,12,13-TriHOME

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

BERSALDEGENIN 1,3,5-ORTHOACETATE

1. Planta medica

Blumenol C

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

Corchorifatty acid F

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

Fatty acids

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

Flavonoids

1. Planta medica

Conditions

Kalanchoe daigremontiana has 6 reported investigations on conditions identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include HSV-1, HSV-2, breast, drought, melanoma.

Hsv-1

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

Hsv-2

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

Breast

1. Planta medica

Drought

1. Scientific reports

Melanoma

1. Planta medica

Wounds

1. Planta medica

Preparations

Kalanchoe daigremontiana has 4 reported preparations identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include Kd-AC fraction, aqueous leaf extract, feed supplement, nanovesicle preparations.

Kd-ac fraction

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

Aqueous leaf extract

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

Feed supplement

1. Biology

Nanovesicle preparations

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)