Mother of Thousands

Overview

Kalanchoe daigremontiana is native to dry zones in Madagascar. It has been introduced in tropical and subtropical regions as an ornamental and a house-plant and it can now be found growing in arid and semiarid habitats in Mexico, Florida, the West Indies, Venezuela, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Australia, South Africa, and on several islands in the Pacific. Juice of this plant has long been used in everyday life for the treatment of many diseases since it has hemostatic, wound healing, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Vernacular Names

Amaranto (Spanish), Mãe de milhares (Potugalese), Tope-tope (Haiti).

Agroecology

K. daigremontiana is well adapted to dry areas because of its succulent features. Thus, this species can be found growing in xeric environments including deserts, dry forests, grasslands, cactus thickets, spiny scrubs, thorny forests, disturbed forests, and roadsides.

Morphology

• Roots - brown taproot.
• Stems - mostly simple, 5–25 dm × 0.5–2 cm.
• Leaves - opposite, evenly spaced, simple, largest subpeltate; petiole subterete, 1–5 cm; blade purple-blotched abaxially, triangular to lanceolate, 5–25 cm × 3–12 cm, margins serrate, apex acute, surfaces glaucous; bulbils borne in notches of leaf margins, spurs spoon-shaped. Inflorescence is a compound cyme, paniculate, 1.5–3 dm diameter; branches up to 15 cm. Pedicels 5–15 mm.
• Flowers - pendulous, large, bisexual, 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. Nectar scales oblong, 1.5-2 x 0.3-1 mm. Follicles, 7-10 x 2-4 mm.
• Seed - 0.6-1 x 0.2-0.3 mm, oblong with longitudinal striae.

Cultivation

Generative propagation is by seed, and vegetative propagation is by cuttings (stem and leaf).

Chemical Constituents

Flavonoids, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, steroid compounds (bufadienolide), and triglycoside (kaempferol 3-O-ß-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside-7-O -ß-D-glucopyranoside).

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• Leaves extracts are commonly used to treat diseases such as bacterial, fungal, and viral infections, asthma, and ulcers.
• The leaves have antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antihypertensive, and anti-diabetic effects.
• In Germany, K. daigremontiana is one of anthroposophic medications, administered to alleviate psychic agitation, restlessness and anxiety.
• In Chinese herbal medicine, this plant has been used to alleviate vomiting and cough.