Japanese name: コダカラベンケイ（子宝弁慶） Scientific name:Bryophyllum daigremontianum
[Overview]
A perennial 1.8 m tall.
The leaves are simple and opposite, lanceolate to long triangular, 10–20 cm long and 4.5–8 cm wide, with serrated margins.
The undersides of the leaves have purple blotches.
Adventitious buds form along the leaf margins.
Conical cymes 40–50 cm long at the stem tips bear 40–60 downward-facing flowers.
The flowers are long bell-shaped, 2.5–3 cm long and about 1.8 cm across, and the corolla is 4-lobed and tinged pale pink.
The fruit is a capsule.
[History]
It arrived in Japan in 1931.
[Uses]
It is used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by stem-tip cuttings or leaf cuttings, both of which are easy.
It prefers a sunny site with well-drained soil.
It is vulnerable to cold, so bring it indoors to a sunny spot in winter.
It is a short-day plant that blooms as the days shorten, so it is less likely to flower in places that are bright at night.
From spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; in winter, keep it on the dry side.
Apply slow-release fertilizer from spring to autumn.
Pests and diseases include gray mold and aphids.
