What plant is "thick skin" (Houpiban) exactly? Latest science popularization
Houpiban is a very distinctive plant, and many people find the name strange and wonder what it actually is. In fact, Houpiban is an evergreen small shrub plant of the genus Kalanchoe in the Crassulaceae family, also known as Yanzizhang, jade tree, "never dies," air plant, leaf-rooting plant, etc. Houpiban is merely a common folk name we usually use for it. It is a type of succulent plant and has high ornamental value.
Houpiban is a perennial succulent herb, 40-150 cm tall. The stem is erect, much branched, hairless, with obvious markings, purple-red on the upper part, densely covered with elliptical lenticels, and sometimes slightly woody on the lower part. The leaves are opposite, simple or pinnately compound, with compound leaves having 3-5 leaflets. The two leaves are purple, 2.5-5 cm long, broad and flat at the base, half-clasping the stem. The leaf blades are succulent, elliptical or oblong, 6-10 cm long and 3-6 cm wide, with rounded and blunt tips and rounded teeth along the edges. Buds easily form at the base of the rounded teeth, and a new plant forms once they fall to the ground.
The terminal panicle of Houpiban is large-flowered, bisexual, and drooping. There are two bracts, leaf-like. The calyx is bell-shaped, membranous, swollen, 2.5-4 cm long, pale green or yellow-white. The corolla is tubular, 3-4.5 cm long, pale red or purple-red, swollen and spherical at the base, contracted in the middle, with 4 lobes at the tip, and the lobes extend beyond the calyx tube. The stamens are inserted at the base of the corolla tube and are adnate to the corolla tube; the filaments are long, and the anthers are purple. The follicle is enclosed within the calyx and corolla. The seeds are tiny and numerous, with stripes. The flowering period is March-May, and the fruiting period is April-June.
Houpiban is native to South Africa. It is relatively drought-tolerant but not cold-tolerant, and it greatly prefers a warm environment with ample sunlight. At the same time, it can also survive in semi-shaded environments. In winter, the survival temperature and environment must not be lower than 6°C. It often grows on hillsides, beside ditches and roadsides on moist grassland, and is often cultivated in greenhouses and gardens in various places. In China, it is mainly distributed in Fujian, Taiwan, China, southern Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and other places.
The whole plant of Houpiban is used as medicine. It has the effects of cooling blood and stopping bleeding, clearing heat and detoxifying, and is mainly used for traumatic bleeding, bruises, boils and carbuncles, breast abscess, breast cancer, erysipelas, ulcers, scalds, stomach pain, joint pain, sore throat, cough due to lung heat, and other conditions. For internal use, decoct in water: 30-60 g of fresh whole plant, 3-6 g of root, or squeeze the juice; for external use, mash and apply an appropriate amount, or squeeze the juice, dry it, grind it into powder and sprinkle it on, or mash and squeeze the juice for gargling. Note that it is contraindicated for people with spleen-stomach deficiency and cold.
Houpiban is the most common succulent plant and is cultivated for ornamental use. Its leaves are thick and juicy, and neat and attractive adventitious buds grow along the edges, resembling a group of small butterflies. When they fall to the ground, they immediately take root and multiply their offspring, which is quite fascinating. Used as a potted plant, it is a good material for windowsill greening, and it also adds elegance when decorating a study or guest room.