Mother of Thousands
July 20th, 2004 by Editor BXY and I have wondered for a while about these plants growing in our courtyard. A neighbor lady brought another one over in a small pot this weekend, and she said she’d heard it called the Mother of Thousands.
Yup. A quick Internet search reveals it’s also known as the Mexican Hat Plant, the Devil’s Backbone and Kalanchoe daigremontiana. Google indexes a bunch of pictures but I like the one I took back in March:
This show the fantastic blooms that this plant eventually produces, but you can’t see the Seussian body, which can become quite large, even grotesque. It dies after it blooms.
I think it’s called Mother of Thousands because it reproduces itself with great enthusiasm. In fact it is a bit of a pest. It might be poisonous.
Here’s some more pictures I just took:
January 4th, 2006 at 9:30 am
this plant is also poisness
Poisonous parts
Leaves, stems
Devil’s-backbone contains a cardiac glycoside that has caused experimental toxicity and death in chicks and mice. Several other species of Kalanchoe may be found growing as houseplants in Canada & the USA. Tests have shown that some of them may also contain toxic compounds and so caution should be exercised with all Kalanchoe species
February 23rd, 2006 at 11:48 pm
I’m looking for these plants for an indoor garden for my wife, I grew some when I was in the 4th grade and remember how they grew. I’d love to get a few. you can send them snail mail to me. I will provide address if you like later.
February 24th, 2006 at 9:36 am
Alas, our home in New Orleans was flooded and all those plants were killed by the brackish water.
May 8th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
I have a ton of these plants if anyone wants some
July 21st, 2006 at 8:47 pm
Would love to get babies of mother of thousands if anyone can still help.
May 17th, 2007 at 10:58 am
To Paul who wanted babies of mother of thousands. I have loads of the babies and running out of room to keep them. I would love to share them with anybobdy that wants them.
June 9th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Hi Katherine, if you’d like to mail a few babies up to New York, I’d be glad to provide a good home for them! I had fun growing them as a child and would love to have some again! ruggerchik@hotmail.com
June 15th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
If you have any mother of thousand seeds please let me know what I need to do to receive some.
Thank
Carol
February 27th, 2008 at 1:46 am
I had this plant for many years, we had a freak freeze and it died. I have been looking for it for many years. If you have a baby one, i would love to have it. Thank you
February 27th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Hi everybody, I was able to finally locate a “mother of thousands” plant last fall and it is now making lots of babies! If any of you want seeds, please send me your mailing address. You can reach me at ruggerchik@hotmail.com. You too, B! I’d be happy to help you rebuild your plant arsenal!
March 29th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
katrina i have been trying to find u your father is my uncle
May 10th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I would like some of you babies. Please contact me if you give them away or sell some to people. kbblaydes@charter.net
September 9th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
If anyone has some babies I would like to start one of these plants! Please contact me at jhrabak (at) gmail (dot) com.
I can mail you a couple leaves from a jade plant in return. you can pot them up and grow a plant from them.