Kalanchoe bhidei T.Cooke, Fl.

Nandikar, Mayur D., Shinde, Rohini A., Noltie Abstract, Henry J. & India, Peninsular, 2019, Taxonomy and typification of Kalanchoe olivacea and K. bhidei (Crassulaceae), Rheedea 29 (3), pp. 197-208 : 205-207

Kalanchoe bhidei T.Cooke, Fl. Bombay 1: 467. 1903. Lectotype (designated here): INDIA, Maharashtra, Shirgaon Ghat , between Wathar and Wai, 24.11.1902 R. K. Bhide s.n. [?1243] ( BLAT!) . Epitype (designated here): INDIA, Maharashtra, Satara district, Shirgaon Ghat , 22.11.2017, M. D. Nandikar 1797( CAL!; iso BSI!, NGCPR!) FigS. 4–6

Erect to decumbent perennial herbs, green to peach-tawny, solitary or sometimes tufted. Stems 30–100 cm tall, usually simple, occasionally branched, jointed, internodes lax, nodes cicatricose, peach-tawny, glabrous. Leaves caducous (stems leafless at fruiting), decussate, subsessile; lamina ovate to elliptic or oblanceolate, 2–12 × 2–5 cm, succulent, the proximal reduplicate, the distal conduplicate, glabrous, green to peach-tawny, base cuneate to attenuate margin crenate, distal leaves dentate to entire, apex rounded to obtuse in proximal leaves, acute in distal leaves. Inflorescence widely spreading, terminal and axillary, of many compound cymes; cymes 3–6-flowered, 5–9 cm long; peduncle 2–7 cm long, glabrous, stramineous; bracts fleshy, supra-axillary, subulate to falcate c. 0.5 × 0.2 cm, glabrous, peach to coral; bracteoles similar to bracts, occasionally adhering to small, underdeveloped flowers. Flowers erect, pedicellate; pedicels 0.3–0.7 cm long, glabrous, buds obclavate, characteristic lustrous, angular-fluted. Calyx lobes free, narrowly ovate or trigonous, equal, c. 0.4 × 0.1 cm, apex acuminate, glabrous, citrine to terracotta. Corolla 1.5–1.8 cm long, glabrous, obclavate with spreading corolla lobes; tube lustrous, distinctly angular-fluted, citrine to white; lobes white, spreading, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, c. 0.5 × 0.2 cm, apex acute to acuminate. Stamens 8, distinctly obdiplostemonous, the longer antipetalous, c. 1 cm, exserted from corolla throat, the shorter between the corolla lobes, c. 0.8 mm; filaments adherent to corolla tube, upper third free, filiform, 0.3–0.6 cm; anthers ellipsoid, basifixed, lemon, inconspicuously two-lobed. Nectar scales linear to ensiform, c. 0.4 cm long, attached at ovary base. Pistils 4 (more laxly disposed than in K. olivacea ), narrowly clavate, c. 1 cm long; ovary narrowly ovoid, c. 0.8 cm long, lemon, sprinkled with brick red; style gradually tapered from ovary, inconspicuous; stigma simple. Follicles narrowly ellipsoid, c. 1 cm long, glabrous, acrocidally dehiscent, fuscous-fawn, covered with persistent papery, ivory corolla tube and calyx. Seeds are numerous, ellipsoid, c. 1 × 1 mm, carunculate, testasulcate, fuscous to khaki.

Flowering & fruiting: As for K. olivacea .

Habitat & distribution: Grows fully exposed to sun in open places, in loose, rocky ‘moorum’ (a soil type, comprised of small pieces of disintegrated rock or shale); on hilly slopes among grasses between 500 and 1200 m above sea level. Endemic to peninsular India: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu ( Gamble, 1919), and Andhra Pradesh ( Chorghe et al., 2017).

Conservation status: Anthropogenic activities, especially road widening, have already led to the destruction of populations in a few of the localities where authors have previously observed K. bhidei . The other major threat comes from the native butterfly Talicada nyseus (Red Perriot) , which completes its lifecycle entirely on members of the genus Kalanchoe ( Singh, 2005) and has been observed feeding on K. bhidei . As K. bhidei is slow growing and its propagation, both sexual and vegetative, is limited, an infestation by Red Perriot is apparently causing damage to the sparse populations of this plant in their natural habitat. These observations point to a greater need for efforts towards the conservation of this species. With a calculated area of occupancy of 16,000 km 2, and extent of occurrence of 122,100.774 km 2 in GEOCAT ( Bachman et al., 2011), its current conservation status is evaluated as Least Concern (LC).

Specimens examined: INDIA, Karnataka, Hassan district, Belavathalli state forest, 19.12.1968, C. J . Saldanha 11999 ( JCB, digital image!); before Arsikere Town , 21.01.1970, C. J . Saldhana 16047 ( E); Bourdalboore, 06.01.1970, C. J . Saldanha 15947 ( K!); Chamarajanagar district, Billigirirangan Hills , 12.1938, Edward Batneo 2078 ( K) . Maharashtra, Satara district, Pasarani Ghat, Wai to Panchgani , 03.02.2017, M . D. Nandikar 1384 ( NGCPR); Nandgiri, Satara Road , 12.11.2017, M . D. Nandikar & Rohini Shinde 1797 ( NGCPR!) . Tamil Nadu, Kodaikanal Ghat, Pulney Hills, 06.12.1898, Bourne 921? ( MH00234653 !); Vadakumalai , Vettakarankoil , Coimbatore , 1075 m, 08.01.1970, M. V . Viswanathan 352 ( MH!) .

Note: Only a handful of collections have been seen by the authors in various herbaria, and most of these are in poor condition with the exception of collections at K from Karnataka. The collection from the type locality, S . D. Deshpande 166455 ( Deshpande & Sharma, 1984), could not be found at BSI .

Characters K. olivacea K. bhidei

Habit 15–60 cm tall 30–100 cm tall

Stem Many from the base, olive to tawny Solitary or branched, peach-tawny

Leaves Proximal sub-sessile, distal sessile; lamina All sub-sessile; lamina ovate to ellipticovate to lanceolate or oblanceolate, 1–10 lanceolate, 2–12 × 2–5 cm, acute to rounded × 0.5–4 cm, acute to obtuse at apex, olive at apex in distal leaves, obtuse in proximal to khaki or peach to terracotta leaves, green to peach-tawny

Inflorescence Erect to patent, terminal and supra- Spreading, terminal and axillary, many axillary, 3–6 compound cymes, each cyme compound cymes, each cyme with 3–6 with 2–4 flowers, glandular hairy flowers, glabrous

Peduncle 0.2–1.5 cm long, glandular hairy, olive to 2–7 cm long, glabrous, stramineous vinaceous

Flower buds Obpyriform to pandurate, terete convolute Obclavate, angular-fluted, convolute, acute and caudate to acuminate, glandular hairy to acuminate, lustrous-glabrous

Calyx lobes Lanceolate, glandular hairy, pink to fawn Narrowly ovate to trigonus, glabrous, or olive citrine to terracotta

Corolla 1.7–2 cm long, tube obpyriform; lobes 1.5–1.8 cm long, tube obclavate; lobes lanceolate, acuminate to caudate, densely narrowly ovate to lanceolate, acute to to sparsely glandular without, sparsely acuminate, glaborus hairy within

Stamens Subequal, all included in corolla tube Unequal, the longer four exerted from corolla tube

Ovary Narrowly ovoid, green Narrowly ovoid, lemon sprinkled with brick red

Style Conspicuous Inconspicuous

Hybridization is a common phenomenon between species of Kalanchoe as these may frequently be sympatric in the wild and hence numerous hybrid taxa have been described based on intermediate morphology ( Descoings, 2003). K. cherukondensis Subba Rao & Kumari (1978) is an apparently intermediate species between K. olivacea and K. bhidei , described based on a glabrous calyx and glandular corolla lobes. Kalanchoe (including Bryophyllum ) is a relatively large genus, most diverse in Tropical Africa and Madagascar with 144 species currently recognized ( Mabberley, 2017). The Indian subcontinent has nine species ( Singh et al., 2011) of which six are introduced and naturalized, while three are endemic and poorly documented. As no recent, complete monograph is available for the genus Kalanchoe , reliable species determination in the genus is confused and greatly in need of a revision ( Descoings, 2003).

Figures

Fig. 4.KalaNCHOE bHidEi T.Cooke,A. Habitat;b. Habit;c. LEavES;d. Inflorescence;e. Flowers;f. Dissected flower with obdiplostemonous stamens, g. Pistil with linear nectar scales; h. Infructescence (Photographs:Mayur D. Nandikar).

Fig.5. Lectotype of KalaNCHOE bHidEi T.Cooke (BLAT)

Fig.6. Epitype of KalaNCHOE bHidEi T.Cooke (CAL)