Bryophyllum delagoense

Bryophyllum delagoense is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. In common with some other members of its genus, B. delagoense is notable for vegetatively growing small plantlets on the distal ends of its phylloclades, leading to its common names of mother of thousands, mother of millions, and devil's backbone. It's also commonly known as the Chandelier plant due to it's chandelier-like flowers.

This species' capability for vegetative reproduction, its drought tolerance, and its popularity as a garden plant, relate to this species' becoming an invasive weed in places such as eastern Australia and many Pacific islands. In the Neotropics hummingbirds sometimes pollinate this non-native plant.

While being invasive, it can be used as an excellent ground cover in expose, dry grounds, giving color in winter with their attractive orange blooms. The "chandelier" of flowers can bloom for 2 weeks, until it runs out of flower buds. 
It's a very useful plant to grow in next to grey concrete backgrounds, as it's stunning flowers are very useful in making sharp contrasts.  

Though being drought tolerant, they do best if planted in half-day sunlight, light watering once every 2 days. If grown in dry, full-sun conditions, the plant with develop grey leaves, and if grown in wetter, less exposed conditions, it'll develop larger green leaves. 
So generally, this plant can be watered daily, or not watered at all depending on the weather, unlike most water-fuzzy succulent plants. They can tolerate moist soil, and even grow well so as long as sunlight is provided. 

Each individual flower lasts for only 5 days. 
It is an ideal plant for the rockery, but also grows well as a pot plant. They thrive in where no other plant can survive, in places such as rock cliffs, abandoned concrete buildings, and dry pebble ground. 

It is only capable of colonizing ground that isn't too shady or wet, so it's limitation to dry barren ground limits it's status as a invasive species. 
It only becomes invasive under the right conditions. Even then, their "plantlings" are easy to remove, as their roots aren't deep.  These plants are remarkably adaptable, capable of growing in cracks among concrete or rocks, or they can grow in ordinary garden soil, so as long their's adequate sunlight for them. 




Byrophyllum delagoense is unwelcome because it displaces native plants and contains bufadienolide cardiac glycosides which can cause cardiac poisoning, particularly in grazing animals. During 1997, 125 head of cattle died after eating this species on a travelling stock reserve near Moree, NSW.


Because of the toxicity of this species and its hybrids, and especially of the flowers, it has been declared a noxious weed in New South Wales and Queensland.