air plant

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Leaf Of Life
• Loveplant
• Mala Madre
• Mother of Thousands
• Mother-in-law
• Mexican loveplant
• airplant
• cathedral-bells
• curtainplant
• floppers
• good-luck-leaf
• lifeplant
• miracle-leaf
• tree-of-life
• Goethe Plant
• Green Mother Of Millions
• Miracle Leaf
• cathedral bells

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Cotyledon calycina
• Crassula pinnata
• Bryophyllum germinans
• Cotyledon rhizophylla
• Vereia pinnata
• Crassuvia floripendia
• Cotyledon pinnata
• Kalanchoe calcicola
• Bryophyllum pinnatum
• Cotyledon calyculata
• Bryophyllum calcicola
• Baumgartenia sobolifera
• Bryophyllum calycinum
• Kalanchoe pinnata var. calcicola
• Kalanchoe pinnata var. floripendula
• Bryophyllum pinnatum simplicifolium

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Saxifragales, it is classified under the family Crassulaceae. Finally, its taxonomic designation concludes with the genus Kalanchoe.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a wide geographical distribution across several key regions. Within the Macaronesia archipelago, it can be found inhabiting the Azores and the Canary Islands. It is also established in the islands of Cape Verde and Madeira. Furthermore, its range extends beyond these Atlantic islands to West Tropical Africa. Specifically, the species is recorded as growing in the nation of Benin.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Kalanchoe pinnata is characterized by its remarkable adaptability to diverse environments, spanning a vast altitudinal gradient from sea level (0 m AMSL) up to high-altitude regions reaching 2700 m AMSL. While specific habitat classifications are often noted with ambiguity in certain datasets, the plant typically thrives in a variety of ecological niches including rocky outcrops, forest edges, and disturbed areas where it can exploit available sunlight and moisture. Its ability to occupy such a broad elevational range suggests a high tolerance for varying thermal regimes and atmospheric pressures, allowing it to persist in both lowland tropical settings and more temperate montane zones.

Elevational range max:

2700 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

(?)

Genetics

The genetics of Kalanchoe pinnata are characterized by significant numerical variability in its chromosomal makeup and a specific baseline ploidy level. The species exhibits a fluctuating chromosome number that can range from 34 to 40, specifically documented at levels of 34, 36, 38, and 40. Despite this variation in total chromosome count, the plant is identified as having a ploidy level of 2, indicating a diploid state. This combination of a stable diploidy alongside a range of varying chromosome numbers suggests a complex genetic structure often associated with polyploidization processes or chromosomal rearrangements within the genus.

Chromosome number :

34, 36, 38, 40

Ploidy :

2

Life history

The life history of Kalanchoe pinnata is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. As a phanerophyte, its regenerative buds are elevated above the ground, a structural trait that supports its robust growth habit. The plant maintains an evergreen deciduousness, ensuring that its foliage remains functional and photosynthetic throughout much of the year without the need for seasonal leaf shedding. This combination of a long-lived lifecycle, elevated life form, and constant green canopy enables the species to effectively occupy its ecological niche and adapt to varying environmental conditions.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Kalanchoe pinnata is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb. It functions as a self-supporting, independent plant that does not rely on other organisms as a parasite or an epiphyte, maintaining a strictly terrestrial existence. The plant typically exhibits an ascending shoot orientation and reaches a plant height ranging from a minimum of 0.3 m to a maximum of 2 m, with an average height of approximately 1 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

2 m

Plant height mean:

1 m

Plant height min:

0.3 m

Shoot orientation :

ascending

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Kalanchoe pinnata is characterized by a specialized Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) photosynthetic pathway, which allows the plant to thrive in arid environments by fixing carbon dioxide at night to minimize water loss. This metabolic efficiency is supported by its notable succulence, as the plant utilizes thickened tissues for water storage. The foliage is arranged in an alternate pattern, featuring elliptic-shaped leaves that vary significantly in size; individual leaves typically range from a minimum length of 5 cm to a maximum of 25 cm, with widths spanning from 2 cm to 12.5 cm. Furthermore, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on external soil nutrient availability to support its physiological processes.

Leaf arrangement :

alternate

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf length max:

25 cm

Leaf length min:

5 cm

Leaf width max:

12.5 cm

Leaf width min:

2 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

CAM

Succulence :

yes

Reproduction

The reproduction of Kalanchoe pinnata is a multifaceted process involving both sexual and asexual mechanisms. The plant exhibits asexual reproduction, which is a prominent trait for its propagation. During its flowering season, which typically begins in January and concludes around May, the plant produces green flowers that vary in length from a minimum of 3.5 cm to a maximum of 5.4 cm. These flowers are arranged in inflorescences that range in length from 0.2 m to 0.8 m. Following pollination, the plant develops fruits with a minimum length of 1.2 cm, a maximum length of 1.3 cm, and an average length of 1.5 cm, while the fruit width reaches a maximum of 0.2 cm. The resulting seeds are remarkably small, with a mean length of 0.8 mm (ranging from 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm) and a maximum width of 0.2 mm. These seeds have a highly consistent mass, with the minimum, mean, and maximum values all recorded at 6e-05 g. The dispersal of these seeds is characterized by an anthropochorous syndrome, meaning they are often spread through human activity.

Dispersal syndrome :

anthropochorous

Flower colour :

green

Flower length max:

5.4 cm

Flower length min:

3.5 cm

Flowering time :

Jan

Flowering time :

May

Fruit length max:

1.3 cm

Fruit length mean:

1.5 cm

Fruit length min:

1.2 cm

Fruit width max:

0.2 cm

Inflorescence length max:

0.8 m

Inflorescence length min:

0.2 m

Reproduction asexual :

present

Seed length mean:

0.8 mm

Seed length min:

0.5 mm

Seed mass mean:

6e-05 g

Seed width max:

0.2 mm

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Kalanchoe pinnata has 1 reported plant parts identified across 16 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf.

Leaf

1. Acta tropica
2. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
3. Planta medica
4. Mutation research. Genetic toxicology and environmental mutagenesis
5. Phytochemical analysis : PCA

Chemicals

Kalanchoe pinnata has 60 reported phytochemicals identified across 16 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Flavonoids, kaempferol, quercetin, quercitrin, BERSALDEGENIN 1,3,5-ORTHOACETATE.

Flavonoids

1. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias
2. Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB
3. Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology
4. BMC complementary medicine and therapies
5. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

kaempferol

1. Dr. Duke
2. Planta medica
3. Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society
4. BMC complementary medicine and therapies

quercetin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Chemistry & biodiversity
3. Planta medica
4. BMC complementary medicine and therapies

quercitrin

1. Phytochemistry
2. Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology
3. International journal of molecular sciences

BERSALDEGENIN 1,3,5-ORTHOACETATE

1. Chemistry & biodiversity
2. Planta medica

Bryophyllin A

1. Planta medica
2. Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry

Bryophyllin C

1. Chemistry & biodiversity
2. Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry

Friedelin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society

STIGMASTEROL

1. Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society
2. BMC complementary medicine and therapies

SYRINGIC ACID

1. Dr. Duke
2. Chemistry & biodiversity

Activities

Kalanchoe pinnata has 315 reported activities identified across 16 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, Antihypertensive, Antiulcer.

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology
3. Saudi journal of biological sciences
4. Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Saudi journal of biological sciences
3. Pharmaceutical biology

Cytotoxic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology

Antihypertensive

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology

Antiulcer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Pharmaceutical biology

Gastroprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Frontiers in pharmacology

Mutagenic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Sedative

1. Dr. Duke
2. Clinical case reports

11B-HSD-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

5-Lipoxygenase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Conditions

Kalanchoe pinnata has 20 reported investigations on conditions identified across 16 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include cancer, inflammation, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, leishmaniasis.

Cancer

1. Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry
2. Chemistry & biodiversity
3. BMC complementary medicine and therapies

Inflammation

1. Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology
2. Chemistry & biodiversity
3. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Diabetes mellitus

1. Pharmaceutical biology
2. Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society

Hypertension

1. Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology
2. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine

Leishmaniasis

1. Acta tropica
2. Parasitology

Wounds

1. Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology
2. Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada

Diabetes mellitus

1. Pharmacognosy research

Hsv 1

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Hsv 2

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Anxiety

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Preparations

Kalanchoe pinnata has 22 reported preparations identified across 16 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include extracts, leaf juice, DCM fraction, Ethanolic and methanolic extracts, Freeze-dried leaves.

Extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Malaria journal
3. Cureus

Leaf juice

1. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
2. International journal of molecular sciences

Dcm fraction

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Ethanolic and methanolic extracts

1. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM

Freeze-dried leaves

1. Phytochemical analysis : PCA

Aqueous leaf extract

1. Phytochemistry

Crude extract

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

Decoctions derived from boiled green leaves

1. International journal of molecular sciences

Dichloromethane (dcm) fraction

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Ethanolic extract

1. International journal of molecular sciences