A native of the African island nation of Madagascar (which is a hub of amazing biodiversity with over 90% of its wildlife having evolved in isolation), humans have transported the plant around the globe, and it has now naturalized into other tropical regions. It’s currently found in parts of South America, South
What makes this plant so unique are the tiny plantlets that occur along the edges of the leaves. Thousands of them can occur on a single plant (hence their common name, of course). A drought-tolerant, succulent plant species, the fleshy, blue-green leaves grow up to 8 inches long. Plants reach about 3 feet tall, but typically stay smaller when it’s grown as a houseplant. There are few houseplants that match this plant’s prowess for grabbing people’s attention.
While you can grow this plant outdoors if you live in a tropical climate that does not receive freezing temperatures (USDA hardiness zones 9-11, for example), most plant lovers grow it as a houseplant. The mother of thousands plant is not frost tolerant and will readily succumb to freezing temperatures.
When grown as a potted houseplant, it can be moved outdoors during the summer months. Just be sure to move the pot back indoors in early autumn, long before cold night temperatures arrive. Choose a site that receives direct sunlight for several hours in the morning but dappled partial shade in the hottest part of the afternoon for the first few weeks after moving it outdoors. Once the plant has acclimated to outdoor conditions, you can gradually expose it to more afternoon sun if you’d like. Just don’t do it too quickly or foliage burn or bleaching could be the result.