Peng Lai Cao

Peng Lai Cao is a folk Chinese name applied most commonly to Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken (synonym Kalanchoe pinnata), a succulent perennial of the Crassulaceae naturalized through southern China and Taiwan. It grows 0.5-1.5 m tall, with hollow, slightly woody stems and opposite, fleshy, pinnately compound leaves whose margins bear plantlets that root readily on contact with soil, hence the common name 'life plant.' The drooping, bell-shaped, reddish-purple to yellow-green flowers hang in terminal panicles, with a four-angled inflated calyx. Used in southern Chinese folk medicine for bruises, burns, sore throat, and inflamed skin, its identification is sometimes uncertain as the name has also been applied locally to other succulents; this draft assumes the prevailing identification.