Kalanchoe sect. Bryophyllum

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Bryophyllum >

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Read about Kalanchoe sect. Bryophyllum in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Bryophyllum (Greek, sprouting leaf). Crassulaceae. A small genus of succulent plants in the same order with stonecrops, hen-and-chickens, cotyledon and echeveria, grown to some extent as flowering plants but more especially as a foliage novelty. Root-system fibrous and very abundant: sts. upright, simple or sometimes branching toward the base, of a thick soft tissue over a woody cylindrical core: Lvs. opposite, petioled, simple or pinnately compound, succulent: inn. cymose or paniculate; fls. nodding; sepals 4, united into an inflated calyx which incloses the lower half or more of the corolla; corolla cylindrical, ending in 4 petal tips; stamens 8; ovaries 4, separate or more or less united below. The members of this genus may readily be distinguished from related genera by the "sprouting" habit of their leaves as indicated by the generic name. If a leaf is removed from a plant and placed in a warm moist place, young plants will very soon appear in the notches around its border. This is the simplest method of propagation and is usually accomplished by placing the leaf flat on the wet sand of a growing-bench, in a warm, sunny exposure. Tiny buds will soon appear in the notches and these are followed by numerous fine roots. See fig. 673. When the small plants have attained a size sufficiently large to be handled, they may be removed from the parent leaf and potted. This method may be employed in growing-houses at any season. Plants are also readily produced from stem- cuttings rooted in sand, or from seed. Seeds retain their vitality more than a year when kept dry. The best plants are to be grown by using rather rich loose, well-drained soil, with plenty of light, heat and moisture. However, they are very tenacious of life and will survive with a minimum of water and a low, but not-freezing, temperature They grow luxuriantly out-of- doors during the summer months but must be housed during the frost period. Useful in various botanical demonstrations. B. proliferum, Bowie. Occasionally met with, is much more robust in growth, reaching 12 ft. in height: st. 4-angled in new growth, becoming cylindrical later: Lvs. pinnatifid to pinnate, the base of the pinne very much thickened, blade much contorted and margin finely crenate, rachis and petiole prominently grooved on the upper side. .Afr. B.M. 5147. F.8. 23:2446.— Of little value more than a novelty. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

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