Kalanchoe, , Hamet, 1907

Smith, Gideon F. & Shtein, Ronen, 2021, Taxonomic notes on Kalanchoe porphyrocalyx (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) and its horticultural derivatives, Phytotaxa 478 (2), pp. 225-238 : 230-231

Kalanchoe ‘Wendy’

By far most of the kalanchoes available in the horticultural trade today have been produced in continental Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States where numerous hybrids and cultivars are offered for sale, especially for indoor cultivation, or for cultivation in greenhouses. One such cultivar, K. ‘Wendy’ ( Fig. 5 ), a single-flowered entity, was regarded by Springate (1995: 181) as having been derived from a hybrid between K. miniata and K. porphyrocalyx . Kalanchoe ‘Wendy’ was described as follows ( Springate 1995: 181): “Shrublet to 40 cm, semi-erect, with very few fine simple hairs only in the inflorescences. Stems soon thickening and epidermis separating into plates. Leaves ovate to oblong-lanceolate with uneven, shallow, rounded teeth, 4–7 × 1–2.5 cm, tapered at base; stalk indistinct. Stem of inflorescence usually 3-branched from base with 15–30 pendent flowers. Corolla urn-shaped, tube rose-purple, ca. 2.3 × 1.3 cm; lobes ovate, yellow, 5 × 6mm. Anthers and styles just projecting from corolla-tube; filaments fused to corolla for c. 5mm. Similar to K. [ Kalanchoe ] porphyrocalyx , but coarser and more floriferous when grown in similar conditions. Sometimes self-fertilised, seedlings very variable.”

Springate (1995: 181) does not mention the occurrence of double flowers in this cultivar, and twelve years later confirmed that the only double flowers in Crassulaceae that he was aware of was in the CALANDIVA® series of Kalanchoe and in a plant of Hylotelephium maximum ( Linnaeus 1753: 430) Holub (1978: 144) that he encountered in Hungary (Springate 2007: 95). Kalanchoe ‘Wendy’, as illustrated in Brickell (2003: 594), and also at https://www.rhs. org.uk/Plants/66915/i-Kalanchoe-i-Wendy/Details, appears to be very similar to K. porphyrocalyx , the species. Both Brickell (1998: 578) and Brickell (2003: 594) describe K. ‘Wendy’ as: “Pendent to semi-erect, perennial succulent with ovate to oblong-ovate, slightly scalloped, glossy, mid-green leaves, to 7cm (3in) long. Corymb-like panicles of bellshaped, orange- to yellow-tipped, purple-red flowers. 3cm (1¼in) long are borne in late winter and early spring. Height and spread 30cm (12in) (min. 10°C/50°F). Frost tender: plant may be damaged by temperatures below 5°C (41°F)”. Both works include an image of K. ‘Wendy’ in flower. Note though that this description coincides closely with that of K. porphyrocalyx , the species. In this hybrid, K. porphyrocalyx clearly overshadowed the contribution of K. miniata , if indeed it is of hybrid origin (see for example Boiteau & Allorge-Boiteau 1995: 9). Kalanchoe ‘Wendy’ was previously awarded a Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

Kalanchoe porphyrocalyx and any cultivars based on it, or derived from a hybrid of which this species is one parent, are not mentioned by major horticultural works such as Bailey & Bailey (1976: 620–62), Graf (1980: 682–689, 1637–1638), and Bryant et al. (2005: 740–741). Springate (1995: 181) cites an illustration of Kalanchoe ‘Wendy’ that appeared in “Brickell, RHS gardeners’ encyclopedia of plants & flowers, [p.] 384 (1989)”, and the cultivar name was established there for the first time, including direct reference to it being of hybrid origin ( K. miniata × K. porphyrocalyx ).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Material available in the horticultural trade under the name Kalanchoe ‘Wendy’ or, as we propose here, K. porphyrocalyx ‘Wendy’. Photograph: Ronen Shtein.