Bryophyllum delagoense

Bryophyllum delagoensis, commonly called mother of millions, devil's backbone is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. Like other members of its genus Bryophyllum, it is able to propagate vegetatively from plantlets that develop on its phylloclade margins.[2].[2] Chandelier plant is an alternative common name.

Bryophyllum delagoense
Flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
(unranked):
(unranked):
(unranked):
Core eudicots
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
B. delagoensis
Binomial name
Bryophyllum delagoensis
Synonyms[1]
  • Kalanchoe delagoense (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Schinz
  • Kalanchoe tubiflora
  • Bryophyllum tubiflorum Harv.
  • Bryophyllum verticillatum (Elliott) A.Berger
  • Bryophyllum tubiflora (Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier)
  • Kalanchoe tuberosa H. Perrir
  • Kalanchoe verticillata Scott-Elliot
Habitus

This species' capability for vegetative reproduction, its drought tolerance, and its popularity as a garden plant, relate to this species' becoming an invasive weed in places such as eastern Australia and many Pacific islands. In the Neotropics hummingbirds sometimes pollinate this non-native plant.[3]

Bryophyllum delagoensis is unwelcome because it displaces native plants and contains bufadienolide cardiac glycosides[4] which can cause fatal poisoning, particularly in grazing animals like cattle.[5] During 1997, 125 head of cattle died after eating this species on a travelling stock reserve near Moree, NSW.[6]

Because of the toxicity of this species and its hybrids, and especially of the flowers, it has been declared a noxious weed in New South Wales and Queensland.

See also

Footnotes

  1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
  2. "Kalanchoe daigremontiana". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  3. For example sapphire-spangled emerald (Amazilia lactea) in Brazil (Baza Mendonça & dos Anjos 2005)
  4. Bryotoxins A, B and C: McKenzie et al. (1987), Steyn & van Heerden (1998)
  5. McKenzie & Dunster (1986), McKenzie et al. (1987)
  6. les tanner. "North West Weeds". Northwestweeds.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2009-06-21. Retrieved 2013-02-19.

References

  • Baza Mendonça, Luciana & dos Anjos, Luiz (2005): Beija-flores (Aves, Trochilidae) e seus recursos florais em uma área urbana do Sul do Brasil [Hummingbirds (Aves, Trochilidae) and their flowers in an urban area of southern Brazil]. [Portuguese with English abstract] Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 22(1): 51–59. doi:10.1590/S0101-81752005000100007 PDF fulltext
  • McKenzie, R.A. & Dunster, P.J. (1986): Hearts and flowers: Bryophyllum poisoning of cattle. Australian Veterinary Journal 63(7): 222-227. doi:10.1111/j.1751-0813.1986.tb03000.x PMID 3778371 (HTML abstract)
  • McKenzie, R.A.; Franke, F.P. & Dunster, P.J. (1987): The toxicity to cattle and bufadienolide content of six Bryophyllum species. Australian Veterinary Journal 64(10): 298-301. doi:10.1111/j.1751-0813.1987.tb07330.x PMID 3439945 (HTML abstract)
  • 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
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