Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Kalanchoe pinnata
hoja del aire, Hoja del aire, hoja fresca, baiborín flor de aire, hoja bruja, air plant, life plant, miracle leaf, cathedral bells
A succulent shrub growing to 2 m tall with thick, waxy leaves. The white flowers are cylindrical with a pink line.
A succulent shrub growing to 2 m tall with thick, waxy leaves. The white flowers are cylindrical with a pink line. It reproduces by seeds dispersed by wind and plantlets that form along the length of the leaves. Each plant part that breaks off of the individual has the ability to generate roots and form new plants. The seeds are dispersed mainly by wind.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida (= Dicotyledoneae)
Order
Rosales
Family
Crassulaceae
Genus
Kalanchoe
Species
pinnata
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken (POWO, 2022)
Origin: Introduced - established
Year of first record: 1932
Mode of introduction: Intentional
Introduction Pathway: Intentional
Subpathway: Agriculture/Horticulture
Introduced status: Naturalized
Invasive status: Invasive
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Santa Cruz, Floreana, San Cristobal, Isabela, originally from Madagascar.
- Chen, J. Craven, L.A. (2007) Flora of China. Flora of China 13: 321–328. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=10599
- Gardener, M. R. A. Tye and S.R. Wilkinson (1999) Control of Introduced plants in the Galapagos Islands. Twelfth Australian Weeds Conference, Tasmania Weed Society. Pp 396-400.
- Hamann, O. (1984) Changes and threats to the vegetation. In: Perry, R. (ed.) Key Environments: Galapagos. Pergamon Press, Oxford, p. 115-131.
- Jaramillo, P. (1998) Distribución Espacial de la Vegetación Vascular y Dispersión de Especies Introducidas dentro del Parque Nacional Galápagos. Tesis de Doctorado en Biología, Universidad Central del Ecuador. Especialización ECOLOGIA DE POBLACIONES.
- Jørgensen, P.M. León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999) Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, 1181 pp.
- Lawesson, J.E. Ortiz, L. (1987) Plantas Introducidas en las Islas Galápagos Memorias. Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg.224-235
- Lawesson, J.E. (1987) Plantas exóticas en las Islas Galápagos, un resumen. Memorias. Taller sobre investigación Botánica y manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 17-23.
- McMullen, C.K. (1999) Flowering plants of the Galapagos. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 370 pp.
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2022) Plants of the world online POWO (2022): Plants of the world online. Published on the Internet; Https://powo.science.kew.org/
- Schofield, E.K. (1973) Galapagos Flora: The Threat of Introduced Plants. Biol. Conservation 5(1): 48-51.
- Tropicos.org. (2017) Database of Missouri Botanical Garden. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 06 Oct 2017 <http://www.tropicos.org
- Wiggins, I.L. Porter, D.M. (1971) Flora of the Galapagos Islands Standford University Press, Stanford.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Kalanchoe pinnata", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=14119. Accessed 31 October 2026.