Kalanchoe Adanson (1763: 248) subg. Kitchingia (Baker) Smith & Figueiredo (2018: 169)

Smith, Gideon F., Klein, David-Paul & Shtein, Ronen, 2021, A revision of the Malagasy Kalanchoe subg. Kitchingia (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae): history, taxonomy, and nomenclature, Phytotaxa 507 (1), pp. 67-80 : 72-74

Kalanchoe Adanson (1763: 248) subg. Kitchingia (Baker) Smith & Figueiredo (2018: 169) .

Basionym:— Kitchingia Baker (1881: 268) . Homotypic synonyms:— Kalanchoe sect. Kitchingia (Baker) Boiteau (1947: 7) , pro parte; Bryophyllum Salisbury (1805 : t. 3) subg. Kitchingia (Baker) Byalt (2008: 462) , pro parte. Type:— Kitchingia gracilipes Baker (1881: 268) (lectotype), designated by Smith & Figueiredo (2018: 169), accepted name Kalanchoe gracilipes (Baker) Baillon (1885: 469) .

Heterotypic synonym:— Kalanchoe subg. Calophygia Descoings (2006a: 24) , pro parte, excl. type.

Infrasubgeneric designations not validly published:—‘ Kalanchoe [sect. Kitchingia ] subsect. Sylvaticae ’ Boiteau (1947: 7, 8), nom. inval. Under Turland et al. (2018: Art. 39.1) this designation was not validly published as it lacked a Latin description or diagnosis. Furthermore, Boiteau (1947) did not indicate which of the species he assigned to Kalanchoe sect. Kitchingia he included in ‘ Kalanchoe [sect. Kitchingia ] subsect. Sylvaticae ’.

‘ Kalanchoe [sect. Kitchingia ] subsect. Sylvaticae ’ Boiteau & Mannoni (1948: 8), nom. inval. Under Turland et al. (2018: Art. 39.1) this designation was not validly published as it lacked a Latin description or diagnosis. Boiteau & Mannoni (1948: 7) explicitly included Kalanchoe gracilipes and its basionym, Kitchingia gracilipes , the type of Kitchingia and of Kalanchoe subg. Kitchingia (see above), in this proposed subsection (see also Turland et al. 2018: Rec. 22A.1). Note though that types are for names, not designations.

Description:—Terrestrial or epiphytic, perennial, herbaceous, glabrous to pubescent, non-pruinose, pendent to erect, succulent subshrubs of forests of southern, central and northern Madagascar (see ‘Distribution’ below). Stems rather thin, somewhat wiry, flexuose. Leaves numerous, succulent, cauline-dispersed, opposite, with distinct petiole; margins crenate. Inflorescences terminal, few-branched, sparsely-flowered, cymose. Neither leaves nor inflorescences bulbiliferous. Pedicels widening towards calyx. Flowers tetramerous, rather large and elongate, pendulous, colourful; calyx short, much smaller than and not obscuring corolla, basally rounded; sepals rather small, deltoid to ovate, ± distinctly basally fused or fused for ± ½ of their lengths; corolla thin, sometimes externally hairy; tube rather elongated, campanulate-cylindrical, up to 4 or 5 times longer than calyx, not constricted around ovaries, short-lobed; lobes semi-round to ovate, apiculate, slightly spreading. Stamens all adpressed internally to corolla tube, inserted above middle of corolla tube; anthers ± exserted, at least visible at corolla mouth. Carpels small, oblong, free, distinctly divergent-spreading from base ( Fig. 4A ); styles about three times longer than carpels; nectar scales free, slightly longer (<2×) to slightly shorter (<2×) than wide, semicircular to almost square to rectangular, never linear, slightly emarginate to indented above. Follicles many-seeded.

Distribution:—Forested areas of northern, central, and southern Madagascar, including the Tsaratanana range [ Kalanchoe peltata var. stapfii ], and the Andohahela range [ Kalanchoe gracilipes var. microphylla ] ( Fig. 3 ).

Taxa included:—Five. Two species, one with one variety excluding the autonym, and one with two varieties excluding the autonym, i.e., Kalanchoe gracilipes , Kalanchoe gracilipes var. microphylla , Kalanchoe peltata , Kalanchoe peltata var. stapfii , and Kalanchoe peltata var. mandrakensis .

Note:—Representatives of Kalanchoe subg. Kitchingia differ from Kalanchoe campanulata and other campanulateflowered, herbaceous, species from the forests of Madagascar, e.g. Kalanchoe miniata , Kalanchoe manginii Hamet & Perrier de la Bâthie (1912: 370) , and Kalanchoe rebmannii Descoings (2006b: 29) , by lacking red-to-dark coloured vein patterns internally adorning the corolla (visible at the mouth), by lacking the ability to form inflorescence bulbil clusters, and by having fully divergent carpels ( Fig. 4 ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Known natural geographical distribution ranges of Kalanchoe gracilipes, Kalanchoe peltata, and their varieties upheld in this study.

FIGURE 4.Aspects of the gynoecium morphology and adaxial corolla lobe veining patterns, or lack thereof, of various taxa of campanulate Kalanchoe. A. Kalanchoe peltata var. mandrakensis. B. Kalanchoe ‘Tessa’ (Kalanchoe gracilipes × Kalanchoe manginii). C. Kalanchoe campanulata. D. Kalanchoe rebmannii. E. Kalanchoe manginii. F. Kalanchoe miniata var. andringitrensis. Photographs: A. David-Paul Klein; B–F. Ronen Shtein.