Distinctive features from Kalanchoe, recommendations for growing bryophyllum, advice on reproduction and transplantation, diseases and pests, interesting facts, species. Probably there is no grower who would not have heard of Kalanchoe, this succulent is well known to us from childhood both for its appearance and its properties, but here, among the whole set of flora representatives that are so similar to it, but still have some differences in appearance, name and origin. This is Bryophyllum - a succulent plant species that contains moisture in its leaves or stems in case of dry periods.
Bryophyllum belongs to the Crasullaceae family and is often called Kalanhoe, although the plants are similar, but they differ. And it is interesting that the first has long been singled out as a separate genus, but due to the old habit I still call it by the well-known name - "Kalanchoe". The homeland of representatives of this genus is the territory of the island of Madagascar and about 25 species are included there, however, it is customary to grow only 6 species in indoor floriculture. Like its “green relative”, bryophyllum has medicinal properties of its juice.
Often among the people you can hear how it is called bryophyllum (a name that is little used in our country) or "Goethe's flower", as well as "home doctor". But to be precise, this plant has nothing to do with the Kalanchoe genus at all, this is just a common misconception. It is called “Goethe's flower” because, according to legends and stories, they say that the great writer used this medicinal representative of the flora for medicinal purposes.
Most bryophyllums are small, low-branching plants, reaching a height of 90 cm, but there are undersized specimens that can reach 30-50 cm and look more decorative. They grow upright, possessing both one-year and long-term life cycles.
The leaf plates grow up to 12-24 cm long, elongated-elliptical in shape, depending on the variety, they can be pinnate and jagged along the edges, fleshy outlines, sometimes having complexity along the midrib. Their color is grayish-green or blue-greenish, from the lower surface the leaf has a purple, red-brown spot. The surface of the leaf is bare. There are brood buds along the edge, which give a special decorative effect to the foliage. Because of these buds, the plant is called "viviparous", as they give rise to the so-called "babies" - these are tiny plants that have 2-3 pairs of leaves and several small root processes. If the bryophyllum shakes at least a little, then these "kids" fall to the surface of the soil, where they read to actively root. When a leaf breaks, a transparent cloudy juice is released. As the plant ages, its leaf plates begin to fall off from the very bottom of the stem. In the depths of the leaf sinuses, new young plants quickly appear, which already have small root processes.
The flowering of briofullum is long and abundant, which is why they deserve special love from flower growers. The buds are bell-shaped or tubular. In length, they grow up to 2.5 cm, they have 8 stamens. They also differ from Kalanchoe flower stamens, as they attach at the very base of the flower tube. The petals of the buds are painted in red, orange, pink, greenish or purple colors. Of these, an inflorescence is usually collected in the form of a panicle or half-umbels, located at the tops of flowering stems. The length of the peduncles can be up to 30 cm. The inflorescence, often drooping, and can form something like a "crown". The flowering process extends to the autumn-winter period. Under conditions of indoor cultivation, it is not possible to see flowers in some varieties. It is recommended to cut the inflorescences as soon as they appear, as they can cause the pot to turn over. After flowering, a multi-seeded leaflet ripens in bryophyllum.
Attention!!! Some types of bryophyllum are poisonous, so care must be taken when caring for them. This is due to the fact that toxic substances were found in such plants. Therefore, when placing a bush in those rooms where there is access to small children or pets, this is taken into account. "Goethe flower" multiplies very easily, and an inexperienced florist can take care of it.
Conditions for growing bryophyllum, home care
- Lighting for a plant, it is necessary to select a light, but scattered, it is preferable to put the pot on the eastern or western window sills. However, in partial shade, bryophyllum grows well, but the flowering will not be so abundant.
- Content temperature in the spring and summer months it is kept within 20–27 degrees, and in winter it is reduced to 12–14.
- Air humidity does not affect the growth of bryophyllum in any way.
- Watering. Like any succulent, it is necessary to moisturize abundantly and regularly in summer, and with the arrival of autumn, watering is reduced.
- Fertilizers. Apply feeding for cacti every 2 weeks during the growing season.
- Transfer and selection of soil. A change of pot and substrate for young plants is done annually, but adult specimens are transplanted only as they entwine an earthen coma with the root system. Bryophyllum transplants are not afraid, they immediately start growing. At the bottom of the pot, a drainage layer of at least 5 cm is mandatory (this can be expanded clay or broken shards). The new container must be larger in diameter and not too deep.
The substrate can be used suitable for succulents or fat women. You can mix the components yourself by applying in equal parts leafy soil, turf, river sand, humus and peat soil.
Reproduction of bryophyllum with your own hands
Nature itself made the process of reproduction of the "Goethe flower" easy enough - on each leaf there are "babies", which, when fully ripe, are easily separated from the mother bush. It is necessary to put a piece of paper under the plant and shake the bryophyllum a little, the buds that are ready for rooting will fall on the paper. They must be planted in separate containers filled with a sand and peat mixture. Rooting takes place quite quickly, in about 2-3 days. As the plants develop, they can be transplanted in separate potting medium to suitable adult specimens.
In rare cases, propagation can be carried out using apical or leaf cuttings. They need to be rooted in moist soil or sand, you can use perlite or put them in a glass of water. Root shoots appear the fastest in water. If the cuttings are treated with a root stimulator, the percentage of branches that take root reaches 95. After the root processes appear and reach 1 cm in length, the cuttings can be planted in separate containers with a diameter of 7-9 cm. Young bryophyllum is taken care of. the same as for adult specimens.
Often in flower shops they sell seeds called "Kalanchoe seeds", it can be the seed material of bryophyllum pinnate or as it is called Kalanchoe pinnate. You can check what kind of seeds they are selling to you by reading the name of the plant in Latin, which is indicated on the package. The seeds are recommended to be planted in the middle of spring in nutritious soil, and the container is covered with plastic wrap. The temperature during germination is maintained within 20-23 degrees, and high humidity is also needed. But at the same time, it will be necessary to carry out daily airing and spraying of the soil, if it dries up. The sprouts appear quickly enough and begin to actively develop, next winter such bushes will already bloom.
Diseases and pests of the plant and how to eliminate them
The most aggressive pest in bryophyllum is considered to be aphids, even such insects as spider mites are considered rare "guests" on the "Goethe flower". If next to it there is a plant infected with a scabbard, then this pest can also harm the "home doctor". The main symptoms of the appearance of "uninvited guests" in this case are:
- yellowing and deformation of leaves with their subsequent discharge;
- brown-brown spots appear on the back of the leaf plate;
- leaves, branches and stem begin to be covered with a thin whitish cobweb or they become covered with a sticky sugary bloom.
To combat these pests, you will need to apply complex methods:
- wiping the sheet plates with soap, oil or alcohol solution, which is moistened with a cotton pad, then insects and their waste products are removed by hand;
- spraying with broad-spectrum insecticides.
Naturally, infected plants should be separated from healthy ones in order to narrow the focus of infection.
If the temperature has decreased to 12 degrees and when the substrate is in a waterlogged state, then bryophyllum can be affected by gray mold. The same trouble can happen to a plant when the leaves get wet during watering.
If there are no changes in care, and the lower leaves begin to fly around on the bush, then for the "Goethe flower" this is a normal process.
Interesting facts about the relative of the Kalanchoe
Why is bryophyllum so poetically called "the flower of Goethe." There is information that the famous German scientist and writer, every day took one tablespoon of "children" of this plant, believing that they will help his body to rejuvenate.
Often, bryophyllum juice, like Kalanchoe juice, is commonly used as a remedy for stomach ulcers and tuberculosis. Most of all, the vitality of the juice of this representative of the flora leads to defeat, so in two minutes he can anesthetize the oral cavity (no worse than drugs containing novocaine), he performs the same action when there is severe stomach pain. It is used for colds, runny nose or flu.
It is curious that for the first time this healing property was discovered by an electric welder who used bryophyllum juice to heal burn wounds.
Bryophyllum types
- Bouvard's Bryophyllum (Bryophyllum beauverdii) often referred to as Bryophyllum Bouverie. The plant is presented as an ampelous culture, the length of the shoots of which can reach 60 cm. The branches are thin and long, but when grown in rooms they are very fragile and fragile. The color of the foliage is rich emerald with an admixture of brown tones. They are very narrow in shape, and even resemble tubes, which in the form of "green claws" are bent downward. When blooming, buds appear with almost black petals with a purple spot. These leaf blades and flower buds make the plant especially decorative.
- Bryophyllum Degremona (Bryophyllum daigremontianum) more often it is found under the outdated name Kalanhoe daigremontianum. This variety differs in that it produces multiple brood buds. This plant is called "Goethe flower" or "indoor ginseng". The sheet plate has a dark green sheen, the surface is glossy, the edge has serrated outlines. The shape of the leaves is broad-lanceolate. On the lower side, the leaf casts a matte greenish color scheme, and is mottled with strokes of a brownish color scheme. Numerous "babies" appear in the grooves of the sheet plate, and from this the entire edge of the sheet has an openwork edging. When blooming, buds appear pink-purple. They gather in paniculate inflorescences, drooping beautifully in the shape of a crown.
- Bryophyllum Fedchenko (Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi) in the literature it can be found under the name Kalanhoe fedtschenkoi. The leaves are distinguished by a matte surface and a bluish tint, and this variety also has numerous shoots, which form a dense reticular formation in the lower part of the plant, created by multiple aerial root processes. The variety is very reminiscent of Degremona's bryophyllum both in the form of a bush and a lace edge, which is created by "children" located in each notch of the leaf. However, by the color of its foliage, the plant gives the impression of a completely different family, since its colors are akin to the patterns of luxurious fabrics. The green background is only decorated with a pinkish or red stripe running along the edge of the leaf, it very favorably emphasizes the ruffled frame. When blooming, buds appear, the petals of which do not shine with a pink color, but are painted in yellow-orange shades. Inflorescences that are formed from multiple flowers are at the tops. The diameter of the flowers is large, and after the flowering process is completed, new shoots begin to grow from the dormant buds.
- Bryophyllum tubiflorum (Bryophyllum tubiflorum) it is often referred to as Bryophyllum delegoense. Leaf plates in this variety are collected in whorls. The shape of the leaf is narrowly linear, there is an unusual spotting along the edge. Brood buds of this variety are formed only in the upper part of the leaf, because of this, the succulent becomes like a bare pine tree, which makes it quite exotic. The flowers are cast in bright red colors, the sizes are large. They have bell-shaped forms, from which inflorescences are collected in the form of panicles.
- Bryophyllum pinnatum (Bryophyllum pinnatum) known to many growers under the name Kalanhoe pinnata. The plant forms strong upright shoots, forming large bushy formations, has decorative branching. The leaf plates are cast in a light green shade, their shape changes from simple and oval, located at the bottom, to lanceolate with complex feathering at the top. The edge of the leaf plate is marked by a serrated reddish color scheme. "Children" (excreting buds) can be seen on the bush all year round, but even when these formations are not on the leaves, then after placing the leaf plate in a glass of water, they immediately appear. This variety, even in room conditions, easily blooms with dark red buds, which gather in bright inflorescences. This variety of pinnate bryophyllum, like the Degremon variety, has medicinal properties, and it is also recognized even by official medicine as a medicinal plant. It is an excellent remedy for otitis media, gynecological problems, wounds, burns and in dentistry.
- Bryophyllum manginii (Bryophyllum manginii) this variety is only gaining momentum in its popularity. Its main feature is considered to be unique flowering. With growth, beautiful shrubs are formed, consisting of oval leaf plates with a herbaceous green color. In the process of flowering, delightful flowering stems appear, decorated with bell buds, giving the succulent a very effective highly decorative appearance. The petals of the buttes are painted in bright orange, pinkish or red shades with a greenish bracts. Because of this contrasting shading, the variety is popularly called the "Madagascar bell". Unlike many types of bryophyllum, hybrids created on the basis of the Mangina variety are capable of blooming at any time of the year at room temperatures.
What bryophyllum, a relative of the Kalanchoe, looks like, see this video:
