Production of new individuals along a leaf margin of the air plant, Kalanchoe pinnata. The small plant in front is about 1 cm tall

Kalanchoe (pron.: /ˌkæləŋˈkoʊ.iː/),^[1] also written Kalanchöe or Kalanchoë, is a genus of about 125 species of tropical, succulent flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, mainly native to the Old World but with a few species now growing wild in the New World following introduction of the species.

Most are shrubs or perennial herbaceous plants, but a few are annual or biennial. The largest, Kalanchoe beharensis from Madagascar, can reach 6 m (20 ft) tall, but most species are less than 1 m (3 ft) tall.

Kalanchoes are characterized by opening their flowers by growing new cells on the inner surface of the petals to force them outwards, and on the outside of the petals to close them.^{[citation needed]}

The genus was first described by the botanist Michel Adanson in 1763. Reportedly, the name came "from the Chinese name for one of the species." ^[2] This Chinese species is thought to have been either Kalanchoe ceratophylla or Kalanchoe spathulata.^{[citation needed]} Kalanchoe ceratophylla is called 伽蓝菜 in China, not very close in pronunciation: qiélán cài or jia lan cai depending on the romanisation.^[3] The genus Bryophyllum was described by Salisbury in 1806 and the genus Kitchingia was created by Baker in 1881. Kitchingia is now regarded as a synonym for Kalanchoe, whereas some botanists treat Bryophyllum as a separate genus.^[2]

Cultivation and uses [edit]

These plants are cultivated as ornamental houseplants and rock or succulent garden plants. This plant is known to the Chinese as "thousands and millions of red and purple" (萬紫千紅), and is commonly purchased during the Chinese New Year for decorative purposes.Empty citation‎ (help)  They are popular because of their ease of propagation, low water requirements, and wide variety of flower colors typically borne in clusters well above the vegetative growth. The section Bryophyllum - formerly an independent genus - contains species such as the "Air plant" Kalanchoe pinnata. In these plants, new individuals develop vegetatively as plantlets, also known as bulbils or gemmae, at indents along the leaves. These young plants eventually drop off and take root. No males have been found of one species of this genus which does flower and produce seeds, and it is commonly called, the Mother of Thousands; the Kalanchoe daigremontiana is thus an example of asexual reproduction (not so common for leaves).^[4] These plants are the food plant of the caterpillars of Red Pierrot butterfly. The butterfly lays its eggs on the leaf and after hatching the caterpillar goes inside the leaf and eats the leaf from inside.

Diseases [edit]

Toxicity and traditional medicine [edit]

In common with other Crassulaceae (such as the genera Tylecodon, Cotyledon and Adromischus), some Kalanchoe species contain bufadienolide cardiac glycosides^[5] which can cause cardiac poisoning, particularly in grazing animals.^[6][7] This is a particular problem in the native range of many Kalanchoe species in the Karoo region of South Africa, where the resulting animal disease is known as krimpsiekte (shrinking disease) or as cotyledonosis.^[8] Similar poisonings have also occurred in Australia.

In traditional medicine, Kalanchoe species have been used to treat ailments such as infections, rheumatism and inflammation. Kalanchoe extracts also have immunosuppressive effects. Kalanchoe pinnata has been recorded in Trinidad and Tobago as being used as a traditional treatment for hypertension.^[9]

A variety of bufadienolide compounds have been isolated from various Kalanchoe species. Five different bufadienolides have been isolated from Kalanchoe daigremontiana.^{[10] [11]} Two of these, daigremontianin and bersaldegenin 1,3,5-orthoacetate, have been shown to have a pronounced sedative effect. They also have the strong positive inotropic effect associated with cardiac glycosides, and with greater doses an increasing effect on the central nervous system.

Bufadienolide compounds isolated from Kalanchoe pinnata include bryophillin A which showed strong anti-tumor promoting activity, and bersaldegenin-3-acetate and bryophillin C which were less active.^[12] Bryophillin C also showed insecticidal properties.^[13]

Selected species [edit]

References [edit]

Wikispecies has information related to: Kalanchoe

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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, and deliberately cultivated for their attractiveness or for their 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).

Selected species

The three most commonly cultivated species are:

• Kalanchoe daigremontiana (Syn. Bryophyllum daigremontianum): Devil's Backbone or mother-of-thousands. Native of Madagascar; introduced and naturalized in many parts of tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia (Indian Ocean islands), North America (Florida) and South Africa; cultivated in Pakistan.
• Kalanchoe pinnata (Syn. Bryophyllum calycinum, Bryophyllum pinnatum): Air Plant. Native of Tropical Africa, cultivated or naturalized on many Pacific Islands (Tonga, Hawaii). It is also called the "Goethe Plant" since the famous writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe — who also was an amateur naturalist of some repute — was "passionately fond" of this plant and liked to give the baby plantlets as gifts to friends who visited his home. He also discussed his air plant at length in the essay that was titled Geschichte meiner botanischen Studien ("History of my botanical studies").
• Kalanchoe delagoensis (Syn. Bryophyllum delagoense, Bryophyllum tubiflorum, Bryophyllum verticillatum)

Kalanchoe prolifera

Some other species in this section are:

• Kalanchoe adelae (Syn. Bryophyllum adelae)
• Kalanchoe beauverdii (Syn. Bryophyllum beauverdii, Bryophyllum costantinii, Bryophyllum juelii, Bryophyllum scandens)
• Kalanchoe bouvetii (Syn. Bryophyllum bouvetii)
• Kalanchoe campanulata
• Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi
• Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri (Syn. Bryophyllum gastonis-bonnieri)
• Kalanchoe laxiflora (Syn. Bryophyllum crenatum)
• Kalanchoe macrochlamys (Syn. Bryophyllum macrochlamys)
• Kalanchoe manginii (Syn. Bryophyllum manginii)
• Kalanchoe marnieriana (Syn. Bryophyllum marnierianum)
• Kalanchoe miniata (Syn. Bryophyllum miniatum)
• Kalanchoe prolifera (Syn. Bryophyllum proliferum)
• Kalanchoe pubescens (Syn. Bryophyllum aliciae, Bryophyllum pubescens)
• Kalanchoe rolandi-bonapartei (Syn. Bryophyllum rolandi-bonapartei, Bryophyllum tsaratananense)
• Kalanchoe rosei (Syn. Bryophyllum rosei)
• Kalanchoe schizophylla (Syn. Bryophyllum schizophyllum )
• Kalanchoe serrata (Syn. Bryophyllum lauzac-marchaliae)
• Kalanchoe streptantha (Syn. Bryophyllum streptanthum)
• Kalanchoe suarezensis (Syn. Bryophyllum suarezense)
• Kalanchoe uniflora

Uses

Treats sores on the body.

References

• Steyn, Pieter S & van Heerden, Fanie R. (1998): "Bufadienolides of plant and animal origin". Nat. Prod. Rep. 15(4): 397–413. doi:10.1039/a815397y PDF fulltext