Kalanchoe daigremontiana (syn.: Bryophyllum daigremontianum)

This is the succulent plant that succulent plant collectors love to hate! Why? Well, let me count the ways. Each of those little plantlets along the leaf edge will soon drop into a wayward pot and pretty soon every pot in the greenhouse - and the space in between the pots - is growing new "Mother of Thousands". If you look closely you'll see that even the plantlets are forming new plantlets on the edges of their little leaves. Help!!!

OK. Admittedly, there's something  cool about these plants. One of the readers of this blog even commented one time that this was her favorite succulent plant. But if you bring it up at one of the cactus & succulent society meetings, the universal response is "Get that away from here!!!"

So why the picture of it. Because we still have it in our greenhouses. And because there's always that one in a thousand...

Bryophyllum daigremontianum - Mother of Thousands

This is the much maligned (by nursery growers) "Mother of Thousands" (or millions!). Though it's looked upon by growers and many others as a weed (and it is indeed an invasive weed in areas where it can winter over), it's nevertheless a source of fascination and admiration for many. When they flower, the mother plant dies, but not before it has produced enough babies to populate every pot in the greenhouse. A one-plant population explosion. And it's reported to be very toxic to children and small pets if ingested.

But the inner child in us still likes it. Call us insane if your will.
We might as well like it, since we'll never eliminate it's presence in the greenhouse.

Bryophyllum daigremontianum - Mother of Thousands

We get more calls about this plant than you can imagine. "My mother had a plant that had these little plants growing along its edge. Do you know what it is?" "My friend gave me this succulent plant that had these funny little leaflets growing along the edge. Can you tell me anything about it?"

The first response of many succulent hobbyists is to say, "You mean that 'Mother of Thousands' weed?" But that's not quite fair. It can be quite charming in its prime. And though it can become a greenhouse weed and it could become very invasive in welcoming climatic zones, in our area it won't overwinter outside. Therefore last year we decided to use it as an annual and it did beautifully, adding an interesting feature to an otherwise drab area. The winter weather has killed all those but - not to fear - we have more, wintering away in a corner of the greenhouse - hopefully as far away from other potted plants as possible....Well, one can hope!