Kalanchoe porphyrocalyx ‘Pearl

Smith, Gideon F. & Shtein, Ronen, 2021, Taxonomic notes on Kalanchoe porphyrocalyx (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) and its horticultural derivatives, Phytotaxa 478 (2), pp. 225-238 : 231-232

Kalanchoe porphyrocalyx ‘Pearl Bells’

Shaw (2008: 66) recorded the name K. ‘Pearl Bells’ for a plant with an upright habit and pendent flowers. As far as we were able to determine, this cultivar name was for the first time established by Shaw (2008: 66), with the minimal description “Upright habit, hanging flowers” ( Brickell et al. 2016: Art. 27.2). Plants available in the horticultural trade under this name are strikingly similar to material of K. porphyrocalyx , the species, as well as to K. ‘Wendy’, a supposed hybrid (see above).Although material with double flowers are occasionally sold as K. ‘Pearl Bells’, the name is most often applied to, and sold as, a single-flowered variety (pers. obs.). Furthermore, if this cultivar was indeed double-flowered, a trait rarely encountered in, or bred into, kalanchoes, it is likely that Shaw (2008: 66) would have mentioned it, as he had sight of the pendant flowers. Therefore, we regard this cultivar name as referring to singleflowered material that is most likely the same as or derived from K. ‘Wendy’. In addition, Kalanchoe ‘Pearl Bells’ is in all respects virtually indistinguishable from K. porphyrocalyx . Even though use of K. ‘Pearl Bells’ is acceptable under Brickell et al. (2016: Art. 21.2) as a minimum requirement, i.e., with reference to the genus name only, it is here proposed that this cultivar, with retention of the cultivar name, is to be associated with the species, as K. porphyrocalyx ‘Pearl Bells’ ( Brickell et al. 2016: Arts 2 and 14.1).

No differences could be observed when K. ‘Wendy’ was compared with a single-flowered plant sold as K. ‘Pearl Bells’ or as K. porphyrocalyx ‘Pearl Bells’. On the other hand, double-flowered plants examined by us that were sold as K. porphyrocalyx ‘Pearl Bells’ are indistinguishable from K. ‘Sunny Balloon’ and “ K. Dolly” (see below).