Kalanchoe longiflora, , Wood, 1903

Smith, Gideon F., 2023, Who published the name Kalanchoe longiflora (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae)? The correct author attribution and typification of this species name, Phytotaxa 618 (3), pp. 254-264 : 258

Discovery of Kalanchoe longiflora

In the protologue of the name Kalanchoe longiflora, Wood (1903 : t. 320) noted that material of this species was collected for the first time by himself near the brook Dumbeni, between Greytown and Weenen in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands, in April 1891 –in fact, on 15 April 1891, according to labels on the holotype and isotype specimens (see ‘Nomenclature of Kalanchoe longiflora ’, below). In addition to preparing preserved specimens in the field, Wood took living plants of K. longiflora to the Durban Botanic Gardens where the material was cultivated. On 15 April 1891 at least two preserved specimens were prepared by Wood, under J. Medley Wood 4439, with, today, one held at Herb. NH and one at Herb. K.

When Wood’s material of K. longiflora flowered in the Durban Botanic Gardens, it was eventually illustrated by Millicent Franks (1888–1961), who signed her artwork as “M.F.”. Two years earlier, in 1901 the then 13 yearold Franks (later Flanders) had been appointed as assistant to Wood ( Gunn & Codd 1981: 159, Figueiredo & Smith 2021: 280). She soon started illustrating plants intended to be featured in Natal Plants, with her plate of K. longiflora appearing in Wood (1903) as number 320.

The central Tugela River basin whence the material of K. longiflora originated is botanically rich with a range of diverse vegetation types having been recorded ( Edwards 1967). The region is included in the Maputaland-Pondoland Region of Endemism that predominantly falls within the borders of South Africa ( Van Wyk & Smith 2001, Steenkamp et al. 2004).