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 : 8-10

Kalanchoe [subg. Kalanchoe sect. Raveta ] ser. Raveta Gideon F.Sm., ser. nov. ( Figs 1 and 2 )

Type:—as for Kalanchoe [subg. Kalanchoe ] sect. Raveta, i.e., Kalanchoe thyrsiflora Harvey (1862: 380) , designated here.

Diagnosis:—Taxa grouped in K. ser. Raveta differ from other taxa included in Kalanchoe sect. Raveta by a combination of characters that includes that they are glabrous, glaucous and densely white-waxy or rarely tomentose (in the case of K. montana ), herbaceous, succulent plants. Leaves are round to oblong to obovate, variously sized, generally flat, sometimes recurved, with the margins being entire. The inflorescence is a dense-flowered elongated thyrse. Flowers are horizontally spreading to slightly erect at anthesis; the corolla tube is often strongly greenish-infused, glabrous, and densely covered in a white-waxy substance; the corolla lobes are white, yellowish, greenish, or pinkish red, slightly erect, horizontally spreading or slightly down-curved; filaments are short, inserted ± medially or higher up in corolla tube, and often in two distinct whorls; anthers are included or very slightly exserted; squamae are cuneiform-quadrangular, and apically somewhat 3-lobed.

Description:—Multiannual or perennial through basal sprouts, glabrous, densely white-waxy, glaucous, rarely tomentose (in the case of K. montana ), medium-sized to large, robust, herbaceous, terrestrial, succulent plants. Stems often weak, snake-like creeping, sprouting new stems from base after flowering or, more rarely, higher up along peduncle. Leaves opposite, free or basally contiguous, sometimes basally distinctly auriculate, fleshy, glabrous or rarely tomentose, densely white-waxy, deciduous or more rarely persistent lower down, obovate to oblanceolate to oblong to round; margins entire. Inflorescence a terminal, dense-flowered elongate thyrse, many-flowered, 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, spreading-erect or spreading, ± elliptic; calyx 4-partite, with sepals variously fused; sepals prominent or at least conspicuous; corolla 4-partite, fused into a tube; corolla tube usually much longer than calyx and lobes, glabrous, greenish, densely covered in white-waxy substance; corolla lobes white, yellowish, greenish, or pinkish red, slightly erect, horizontally spreading or recurved; stamens 8, often in two distinct whorls; filaments glabrous, fused to corolla tube medially or higher up; anthers included or all or some slightly exserted; carpels 4, free; squamae 4, cuneiform-quadrangular and apically somewhat 3-lobed; ovary apically ± abruptly constricted, often stipitate; style short. Seed ellipsoid to slightly banana-shaped-curved, very small, numerous.

Included species:—Eight (see Table 1, A.1–A .8). 1. Kalanchoe thyrsiflora Harvey (1862: 380) ( Fig. 1 ); 2. K. luciae Hamet (1908b: 256) ; 3. K. montana Compton (1967: 295) ; 4. K. wildii Raym. -Hamet ex Fernandes (1978: 204); 5. K. winteri Gideon F.Sm., N.R.Crouch & Mich.Walters in Crouch et al. (2016a: 219); 6. K. crouchii Smith & Figueiredo (2018b: 87) ; 7. K. benbothae Smith & Crouch (2021: 109) ; and 8. K. deliae Smith (2023d: 133) ( Fig. 2 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Kalanchoe thyrsiflora is the type species of K. sect. Raveta and K. ser. Raveta. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.

FIGURE 2. The leaves of representatives of Kalanchoe [sect Raveta] ser. Raveta are variously sized, generally flat, and round to oblong to obovate, with the margins being entire, as in the case of K. deliae, shown here. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.