Kalanchoe, Adans. Boletim da Sociedade Broteriana, 1763

Smith, Gideon F., 2024, Expanding and subdividing the southern and south-tropical African Kalanchoe [subg. Kalanchoe] sect. Raveta (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae): description of K. [sect. Raveta] ser. Raveta, K. [sect. Raveta] ser. Longiflorae, and K. [sect. Raveta] ser. Rotundifoliae, Phytotaxa 655 (1), pp. 1-20 : 7-8

Kalanchoe [subg. Kalanchoe ] sect. Raveta Smith (2022b: 210).

Type:— Kalanchoe thyrsiflora Harvey (1862: 380) , designated by Smith (2022b: 210).

Homotypic synonyms:— K. [infragen. unranked] Transvaalenses Berger (1930: 407, as “§ 8”) (see Turland et al. 2018: Art. 37.3). Kalanchoe subg. Fernandesiae Smith (2020a: 5) .

Designation not validly published:—“[ Kalanchoe / Cotyledon ] sect. Raveta ” Raymond-Hamet (1916: 83–84).

Diagnosis:—Taxa grouped in K. sect. Raveta differ from other taxa included in Kalanchoe by a combination of characters that includes that they are glabrous, glaucous or densely white-waxy or rarely tomentose, herbaceous, perennial or multiannual succulent plants. Leaves range from very large to very small, are variously shaped and sized, straight to variously longitudinally folded, sometimes recurved, and not (leaf-)bulbiliferous. Leaf margins are entire or variously crenate. The inflorescence is a dense- or sparse-flowered corymbose cyme or elongate thyrse. Plantlet development on peduncles varies from infrequent to occasional. Flowers are variously horizontally spreading to slightly erect to fully erect at anthesis. The corolla tube is often greenish to strongly greenish-infused, glabrous, and sometimes densely covered in a white-waxy substance, with the corolla lobes being shades of pinkish red, orange, yellow or white, slightly erect, horizontally spreading, or recurved, sometimes strongly so. Filaments are short, inserted ± medially or higher up in the corolla tube, and often in two distinct whorls. Anthers are included or only slightly exserted. Squamae are cuneiform-quadrangular, apically somewhat 3-lobed or ribbon-like-linear.

Description:—Annual, biennial, multiannual or perennial, glabrous or densely white-waxy or glaucous or rarely tomentose, small to large, robust, herbaceous, terrestrial, succulent plants. Stems often weak, shrub-like branched, if not annual sprouting new stems from base after flowering or higher up along stems and branches. Leaves distinctly or slightly reddish-infused, opposite, free or basally contiguous, fleshy, glabrous or rarely tomentose, often densely white-waxy, persistent or deciduous lower down, obovate to oblanceolate to oblong to round; margins entire or variously crenate. Inflorescence a terminal, dense- or sparse-flowered corymbose cyme or elongate thyrse, generally many-flowered, growing point gradually transitioning into peduncle with regular basal leaves lower down and similar, but much smaller bract-like leaves higher up. Flowers 4-merous, erect, spreading-erect or spreading to slightly pendulous, ± elliptic, ± gradually urceolate, or abruptly urceolate; calyx 4-partite, with sepals variously fused; sepals prominent or minute; corolla 4-partite, fused into a tube; corolla tube usually much longer than calyx and lobes, glabrous or densely covered in white-waxy substance; corolla lobes patent, erectly spreading to recurved; stamens 8, often in two distinct whorls; filaments glabrous, fused to corolla tube medially or higher up; anthers included or very slightly exserted; carpels 4, free; squamae 4, cuneiform-quadrangular and apically somewhat 3-lobed or ribbon-like-linear; ovary apically ± abruptly constricted, sometimes stipitate; style short. Seed ellipsoid to slightly banana-shaped-curved, very small, numerous.

Number of included series and species:—Three series and 20 species (see Table 1 for the sequencing of the species). A. Kalanchoe ser. Raveta : 1. Kalanchoe thyrsiflora Harvey (1862: 380) ; 2. K. luciae Hamet (1908b: 256) ; 3. K. montana Compton (1967: 295) ; 4. K. wildii Raym. -Hamet ex Fernandes (1978: 204); 5. K. winteri Gideon F.Sm., N.R.Crouch & Mich.Walters in Crouch et al. (2016a: 219); 6. K. crouchii Smith & Figueiredo (2018b: 87) ; 7. K. benbothae Smith & Crouch (2021: 109) ; and 8. K. deliae Smith (2023d: 133) ]; B. K. ser. Longiflorae: 1. Kalanchoe longiflora Wood (1903 : t. 320); 2. K. leblanciae Hamet (1912: 294) ; and 3. K. sexangularis Brown (1913: 120) ]; and C. K. ser. Rotundifoliae: 1. Kalanchoe rotundifolia (Haworth 1824: 188) Haworth (1825: 31) ; 2. K. stearnii Raymond-Hamet (1941: 334) ; 3. K. decumbens Compton (1967: 294) ; 4. K. alticola Compton (1975: 47) ; 5. K. neglecta Tölken (1978: 90) ; 6. K. waterbergensis Van Jaarsveld (2017: 169) ; 7. K. klopperae Smith & Figueiredo (2022c: 106) ; 8. K. gideonsmithii Crouch & Figueiredo (2022: 234) ; 9. K. krigeae Smith & Figueiredo (2023b: 284) ; and 10. Kalanchoe sp. nov.