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 : 10-14

Kalanchoe [subg. Kalanchoe sect. Raveta ] ser. Longiflorae Gideon F.Sm., ser. nov. ( Figs 3 and 4 )

Type:— Kalanchoe longiflora Wood (1903 : t. 320), designated here.

Diagnosis:—Taxa grouped in K. ser. Longiflorae differ from other taxa included in Kalanchoe sect. Raveta by a combination of characters that includes that they are glabrous, distinctly or slightly red- or orange infused, herbaceous, succulent plants that lack a dense, white-waxy layer. Stems are distinctly angled and often weak. Leaves are round to oblong to obovate, variously sized, generally distinctly or slightly recurved, and the margins are crenate. The inflorescence is a dense-flowered elongate thyrse. Flowers are erect to horizontally slightly spreading at anthesis. The corolla tube is often strongly greenish-infused, glabrous, and lacks a white-waxy substance. The corolla lobes are yellow, slightly erect, horizontally spreading or recurved, with the filaments being short, inserted ± medially or higher up in the corolla tube, and are often in two distinct whorls. Anthers are included or very slightly exserted. The squamae are ribbon-like-linear.

Description:—Perennial, glabrous, intensely or slightly red- or orange-infused, medium-sized, herbaceous, shrubby, terrestrial, succulent plants. Stems distinctly angled, often weak, shrub-like branched, sprouting new stems from base after flowering or sometimes higher up along stems and branches. Leaves opposite, free or basally contiguous, fleshy, glabrous, lacking white-waxy layer, persistent or deciduous lower down, elliptic to ovate to obovate; margins variously crenate. Inflorescence a terminal, many- but generally sparse-flowered, flat-topped thyrse, 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 to spreading-erect, ± gradually urceolate; calyx 4-partite, with sepals slightly fused basally; sepals small; corolla 4-partite, fused into a tube; corolla tube much longer than calyx and lobes, glabrous lacking white-waxy layer; corolla lobes horizontally spreading to recurved, often nearly round; 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, ribbon-like-linear, tapering slightly upwards; ovary apically ± abruptly constricted; style short. Seed ellipsoid to slightly banana-shaped-curved, very small, numerous.

Included species:—Three (see Table 1, B.1–B . 3 ). 1. Kalanchoe longiflora Wood (1903 : t. 320) ( Fig. 3 ); 2. K. leblanciae Hamet (1912: 294) ( Fig. 4 ); and 3. K. sexangularis Brown (1913: 120) .

Kalanchoe [subg. Kalanchoe sect. Raveta ] ser. Rotundifoliae Gideon F.Sm., ser. nov. ( Figs 5 and 6 ) Type:— Kalanchoe rotundifolia (Haworth 1824: 188) Haworth (1825: 31) , designated here.

Diagnosis:—Taxa grouped in K. ser. Rotundifoliae differ from other taxa included in Kalanchoe by a combination of characters that includes that they are glabrous, glaucous or generally bright to yellowish green, herbaceous, small-growing succulent plants. Leaves are variously shaped and sized but generally ovate to obovate and small, straight, flat, rarely longitudinally folded, and rarely slightly recurved. Leaf margins are entire or variously crenate. The inflorescence is a small, sparse- to, more rarely, dense-flowered corymbose cyme. Flowers are erect at anthesis. The corolla tube is abruptly urceolate and often greenish to strongly greenish-infused, glabrous, and lack a white-waxy layer, with the lanceolate-narrowed corolla lobes being various shades of pinkish, red, orange, or yellow, never white, slightly erect, horizontally spreading or recurved. Filaments are short, inserted ± medially or higher up in corolla tube, and often in two distinct whorls. Anthers are included. Squamae are ribbon-like-linear.

Description:—Annual, biennial, multiannual or perennial, glabrous, glaucous to variously bright green to yellowish green, small, herbaceous, terrestrial or sometimes epiphytic, succulent plants. Stems usually weak, often unbranched at least at first, if not annual, sprouting new stems from base after flowering or higher up along stems and branches. Leaves glaucous to bright green to yellowish green, sometimes weakly reddish- or purplish-infused, opposite, free, fleshy, glabrous, white-waxy layer absent, usually deciduous lower down, variably obovate to oblanceolate to clavate to oblong to round; margins entire or variously crenate. Inflorescence a small, dense- or sparse-flowered corymbose cyme, terminal, 1- to many-flowered, growing point gradually transitioning into peduncle with regular basal leaves lower down and similar, but much smaller, often very widely spaced, bract-like leaves higher up. Flowers 4-merous, erect, abruptly urceolate; calyx 4-partite, with sepals hardly fused basally; sepals minute or, more rarely, prominent; corolla 4-partite, fused into a very narrow tube; corolla tube abruptly urceolate, usually much longer than calyx and lobes, glabrous, lacking white-waxy layer, often glaucous to purplish; 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; carpels 4, free; squamae 4, linear; ovary apically ± abruptly constricted, sometimes very slightly stipitate; style short. Seed ellipsoid to slightly banana-shaped-curved, very small, numerous.

Included species:—Nine (see Table 1, C.1–C .9). 1. Kalanchoe rotundifolia (Haworth 1824: 188) Haworth (1825: 31) ( Fig. 5 ); 2. K. stearnii Raymond-Hamet (1941: 334) ; 3. K. decumbens Compton (1967: 294) ; 4. K. alticola Compton (1975: 47) ; 5. K. neglecta Toelken (1978: 90) ; 6. K. waterbergensis Van Jaarsveld (2017: 169) ; 7. K. klopperae Smith & Figueiredo (2022c: 106) ( Fig. 6 ); 8. K. gideonsmithii Crouch & Figueiredo (2022: 234) ; 9. K. krigeae Smith & Figueiredo (2023b: 284) ; and 10. Kalanchoe sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Kalanchoe longiflora is the type species of K. [sect Raveta] ser. Longiflorae. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.

FIGURE 4. The gradually urceolate flowers of representatives of Kalanchoe [sect. Raveta] ser. Longiflorae are borne erectly to erectlyspreading, as here in the case of K. leblanciae. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.

FIGURE 5. Kalanchoe rotundifolia is the type species of K. [sect. Raveta] ser. Rotundifoliae. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.

FIGURE 6. The flowers of representatives of Kalanchoe [sect. Raveta] ser. Rotundifoliae are generally abruptly urceolate, as here, in the case of K. klopperae. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.