Kalanchoe daigremontiana, Devil's backbone. C17

It has triangular, opposite, fleshy leaves with toothed margins. The flowers are in purplish panicles and bloom in winter.

This plant is also known as Devil's thorn, Daigremont's Calanchoe and Bryophyllum daigremontianum.

It is used in pots as a houseplant because of its curious leaves, although in Mediterranean climates it can be grown outdoors.

It likes to be illuminated but without many hours of direct sunlight, for example in a place where the sun shines during the first hours of the day. Temperatures should not fall below 10 ºC.

The Devil's thorn needs a well-drained, acidic soil made up of an equal proportion of leaf mould, coarse sand and heath soil.

It should be watered moderately all year round, reducing watering in winter and even eliminating it in the cold season if there is ambient humidity.

As a curiosity we can point out that this plant produces seedlings on the edge of its leaves; these seedlings take root when they fall to the ground. They also contain daigremontianina, a poisonous substance if the plant is ingested.

Kalanchoe Daigremontiana, like most, are resistant to pests and diseases, just watch out for overwatering.

They can be propagated by leaf cuttings (planting at an angle) and from seed sown unburied in spring.