Kalanchoe Daigremontiana

Last Updated: September 9, 2023

The Mother of Thousands getting ready to drop some new babies

Just a close up photo of the Kalanchoe daigremontiana — also known as Mother of Thousands, Alligator Plant, or Mexican Hat Plant — in our sun room getting ready to drop lots of new baby plants.

Looking at the leaves it’s easy to see why it’s called “alligator plant”, and its propensity to drop hundreds (if not thousands) of babies during the year makes its “Mother of Thousands” moniker understandable.

But I don’t get why it’s also called “Mexican hat plant”. It’s tall and leggy with sawtoothed leaves and lateral roots that shoot out the side of the stem. And looking at the babies on the leaves, they appear more like oysters to me.

Ah well, it’s still interesting to look at.