Bryophyllum (from the Greek βρῦον/βρύεινbryon/bryein = sprout, φύλλονphyllon = leaf) is a group of plant
species of the
familyCrassulaceae native to
Madagascar.[1] It is a
section or
subgenus within the genus Kalanchoe, and was formerly placed at the level of
genus.[1] This section is notable for
vegetatively growing small
plantlets on the fringes of the leaves; these eventually drop off and root. These plantlets arise from
mitosis of
meristematic-type tissue in notches in the leaves.
Nowadays, bryophyllums are naturalized in many parts of the
tropics and
subtropics, and deliberately cultivated for their attractiveness or for their interesting reproduction as a vegetative reproductive plant.
Taxonomy
Species of Bryophyllum are nested within Kalanchoe on
molecular phylogenetic analysis.[2][3] Therefore, Bryophyllum should be a section of Kalanchoe rather than a separate genus.[4][5]
The number of species within Bryophyllum varies with definitions of this section. Bryophyllum used to include not only species that produce plantlets on the leaf margin, but also many species that lack this character such as K. manginii and K. porphyrocalyx. However, the broadly defined Bryophyllum is
polyphyletic.[2]Bernard Descoings redefined Bryophyllum as 26 species,[1] and molecular phylogenetic analysis shows that his definition is almost
monophyletic, except that K. beauverdii (hence as well as its
hybridK. × poincarei[6] and its close relative
K. schizophylla[7]) and K. delagoensis (hence as well as its hybrids
K. × houghtonii[8] and
K. × richaudii[6]) should be included and K. pubescens excluded.[2] Therefore, Bryophyllum comprises about 30 species: