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Indoors, you'd want to give this Central American member of the Euphorbia plant family really bright light and warm conditions. It will grow outdoors in hot, humid regions. beharensis) and devil’s backbone, or mother of thousands (K. The variegated form takes on this pinkish tint during cooler weather. The plant grows from a few inches to 3 or 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. This subtropical succulent is a distant relative of the well-known Christmas poinsettia. Pedilanthus, literally slipper flower are members of the Euphorbiaceous, but the 15 or so species are unique enough to have their own branch or the family.
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Pedilanthus flowers, variously described as shaped like slippers, red birds, ducks, or even cow skulls, are only open at the tip. It is a member of Crassulaceae.Devils Backbone is a moist shrub with zigzagged stems native to dry tropical forests of Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America. daigremontiana seems to be the generally accepted name. It also has a second scientific name, Bryophyllum daigremontianom, although K. Other names for devil's-backbone include mother-of-millions, mother-of-thousands, maternity plant, alligator plant and Mexican hat plant. According to the Invasive Species Copendium, devil's backbone is considered invasive in Cuba, Venezuela, Spain, South Africa, Australia and New Caledonia. It also produces allelopathic chemicals, which inhibit other plant species from growing nearby. Because of its shall root system, it doesn't hold sand nearly as well as the natives it displaces, making the dunes themselves vulnerable to destruction. It's a particular threat in dry habitats, like scrubs and coastal dunes. It is capable of forming dense thickets that crowd out native species. 2 inch Kalanchoe laetivirens Devils Backbone Live Succulent Plant Indoor Plant. Other sources show it spreading northward along the Atlantic Coast. The plant size is based on the size of the pot it is grown in. Pinky-orange flowers of Mother-of-millons or kalanchoe daigremontiana on blue. Department of Agriculture's distribution maps, the plant's statewide range is from Martin County south into the Keys. Devils backbone zig zag ornamental plant with beautiful leaves Stock Photo. These days, both plants and seeds are widely available on the Internet. It further spreads by its wind-dispersed seeds or by improperly disposed garden waste. That's pretty much how it has made its way around the globe. How it got here isn't stated, but most likely imported as an ornamental. A single fruit can contain as many as 16,000 tiny seeds.Īccording to the Florida Natural Area Inventory, the first record of devil's backbone growing wild here dates back to 1934. However, it flowers sporadically, sometimes not at all.ĭevil's backbone reproduces, through the seeds produced by its flowers and by small plantlets that develop on the tips of its leaves. The flowers are clustered umbrella-like, pink to red, tubular and upside down. It grows in dry places and is extremely drought tolerant.ĭevil's backbone is a short-lived perennial, with a vegetative stage that usually lasts two year - it can be longer - and a flowering stage that is the plant's last act. It sends out above-ground roots that can enter the ground and produce new shoots. The plant itself can hit three feet tall and has spoon-like leaves that grow along the stem either in whorls or opposite each other. It is a succulent, meaning it has thick, fleshy leaves and stems. Several groups, including the Florida Natural Area Inventory, are monitoring the plant's spread, and its potential to displace native plant species. The Florida Exotic Plant Pest Council has not classified it as such here (two of its cousins were added as invasives in 2017). i / KAL-n-KOH-ee, also written Kalanchöe or Kalanchoë, is a genus of about 125 species of tropical, succulent plants in the stonecrop family Crassulaceae, mainly native to Madagascar and tropical Africa. It is generally kept as an uncomplicated houseplant. It wont flourish in more temperate or cold regions. Somewhere along the line, it escaped into the wilds of South Florida where it has become established.ĭevil's backbone is only found growing wild in Florida among the 48 contiguous states, but it's also found in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, where it is considered an invasive. The Kalanchoe daigremontiana is hardy, drought-tolerant, and capable of handling intense heat. The problem is that it reproduces like crazy. It is a succulent, a native of Madagascar that is cultivated as an ornamental and as a house plant. It's also an increasingly problematic one. Devil's backbone, Kalanchoe daigremontiana, is truly one bizarre plant.
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