Briofillum is a succulent perennial that belongs to the family Crassulaceae. It has long spread throughout the world from South Africa and Madagascar. The genus is very diverse and famous for its healing properties. Popularly, the plant is better known as Kalanchoe briophillum. This plant is very tenacious and unpretentious, it decorates the house with beautiful flowers and bright greenery. Florists love him for easy care and good looks.
Botanical Description
Several decades ago, the genus Briofillum was separated from Kalanchoe and is now an independent representative of the family Crassulaceae with 25 species. The plant has a branched stem and reaches a height of 50-150 cm. The stem gradually stiffens in the lower part and turns a light brown shade. The rest of the shoots is characterized by a reddish-green color.
Plants are succulents and are distinguished by fleshy, succulent foliage on a short petiole. Ovate leaf blades with serrated margin. Most often, the foliage is painted in dark green, but there are grayish or variegated varieties.
The briofillum plant is called viviparous for its ability to form buds with young plants on the edges of the leaves. Matured babies already have their own air roots and fall off from the slightest tremor. When exposed to moist soil, young bryophyllum immediately starts to grow.
An adult plant from the age of two forms a dense inflorescence in the form of a panicle. The flowering period falls on February or March. The buds are small, white, pink or red. Each flower has the shape of a miniature bell with an elongated tube. After the inflorescences wither, the small stems that are covered in four leaflets remain on the stems.
Healing properties
Briofillum has healing properties. They are most pronounced in cirrus bryophyllum. Juice obtained from young shoots and leaves has bactericidal properties. It is used to heal wounds and fight inflammation. Medicines based on it help cleanse wounds from pathogenic bacteria and dead tissue. Special ointments lubricate ulcers and fistulas, as well as sutures after surgical interventions.
In dental practice, bryophyllum juice is used to treat gingivitis and periodontitis. In ophthalmology, for the treatment of corneal injuries.
Briofillum is used in homeopathy, with its help they fight diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Often bryophyllum juice treat colds. At the initial stage, the plant is able to replace antibiotics. The juice is instilled into the nasal passages and the throat is lubricated.
It is known the use of extracts from the bryophyllum shoot in cosmetology. Regular use of creams and extracts helps restore skin elasticity and slow down the aging process.
Popular varieties
In the genus of bryophyllum there are very interesting and dissimilar specimens. They will certainly interest gardeners.
Cirrus bryophyllum. A perennial evergreen plant that grows up to 1.5 m. The bluish leaves are attached on short petioles to a branched, fleshy stem. In early spring, a panicle inflorescence with small pinkish flowers forms on the top of the bush. The length of each bud is 2-3 cm.
Degremon's Briofilum - a plant with wide, triangular leaves that densely cover the stem. On top of the leaf plates are plain, dark green. The bottom surface of the sheet is covered with brown dashes. During flowering, large purple-pink flowers form. Each bud has the shape of an elongated tube on an arched peduncle. The inflorescence resembles a handful of bright bluebells.
Bouvard Briofillum. The plant is distinguished by thin and long shoots (about 1 m), on which narrow, fleshy leaves are formed. The shoot is painted in dark green, swamp color and is very flexible, so this species is often grown in hanging pots.
Briofillum tubular. The plant is a bare, fleshy shoots covered with whorls of leaves. Children grow at the very tops of the spotty leaves.
Briofillum Fedchenko. The plant is distinguished by flat, rounded leaves of bright green color. The stems branch very strongly, so the Kalanchoe forms a dense bush. Yellow-orange flowers gather in a dense inflorescence over a green hat of the bush.
Breeding methods
For those who already have a bryophyllum, reproduction of this plant does not cause difficulties. The most convenient methods are:
- cuttings;
- rooting kids.
It is enough for children to find themselves in moist soil, and they immediately start growing, because small roots appear on their mother’s leaf. Cut cuttings can be first put in water, and after the appearance of the roots planted in the ground. You can immediately plant a cut shoot in the soil. To accelerate the formation of roots, you can water the soil with a special stimulant. Briofillum is notable for its survivability, often by chance a fallen leaf takes root and forms a young plant.
Briofillums can be propagated by sowing seeds. To do this, in the spring, seeds are sown in moist, light soil and left in the light. Very soon, the first shoots appear, and by winter the plant is so strong that it begins to bloom.
Care Rules
Briofillum is a very tenacious and unpretentious plant, so beginner growers love it. For planting, a soil mixture with the following components is selected:
- 20% clay soddy soil;
- 20% compost;
- 40% of leaf land;
- 20% sand.
Expanded clay or brick chips are laid at the bottom of the pot to ensure good drainage.
To keep the bush compact in size and lush foliage, you need to put it on the south or east window, where the plant will receive enough light. Room temperature is great for briofillum, but in winter it is recommended to put it in a cool place with a temperature of + 15 ° C. Such a decrease provokes the formation of flower buds.
Bryophyllum should be watered with care so that the water does not stagnate at the roots. This succulent plant will easily tolerate a slight drought. In winter, generally enough to moisten the soil once a week. Water the soil carefully so that the liquid does not accumulate on the leaves. Excess moisture on the shoots leads to the formation of fungus and damage to foliage. For the same reason, briofillum is not sprayed.
From early spring to the end of autumn, Kalanchoe should be fed regularly. Mineral complexes for flowering plants are added twice a month.
Briofillum stretches over time, and the lower part of the stems is exposed. Using pruning, you can stimulate the appearance of new basal processes. After 3-4 years, it is recommended to rejuvenate the plant, which gradually loses its attractiveness.
The main problems of bryophyllum are mold and rot. They develop in moist or waterlogged soil. Sometimes, in the axils of the leaves, a scab, a mealybug or aphid settles. Processing from soap pests or chemical insecticides saves pests.
