Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, v. Poellnitz, 2022

Smith, Gideon F. & Figueiredo, Estrela, 2022, Nomenclatural notes on the economically important Flaming Katy, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae), Phytotaxa 549 (1), pp. 104-110 : 107

Typification of the name Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

The name K. blossfeldiana was effectively typified when Van Voorst & Arends (1982: 575) stated: “In conclusion we wish to assign this number [Perrier 17833] as the lectotype …”. Van Voorst & Arends (1982: 575) cited the wrong number, i.e., “178 3 3”—it should have been 178 8 3; this error in the specimen number also appears on page 574 of Van Voorst & Arends (1982). No Perrier de la Bâthie specimen with the number 17833 could be located at Herb. P or in a repository elsewhere. However, the typographic error of Van Voorst & Arends (1982: 575) is to be corrected under Turland et al. (2018: Art. 9 Ex. 3), which relates to errors in citation of a holotype, which Von Poellnitz (1934: 159) intended for “H. Perrier de la Bâthie!”.

Descoings (2003: 148) cited “ T: Madagascar ( Perrier 17883 [P])” and referenced the correct gathering of Perrier de la Bâthie. The abbreviation “ T ” is defined as “(nomenclatural) type ” in Eggli (2003: X) .

In a second-step lectotypification the lectotypification of Van Voorst & Arends (1982: 575) is narrowed down to the Perrier de la Bâthie 17883 specimen with the barcode P00374114. This is the specimen that Van Voorst & Arends (1982: 575) likely intended as lectotype, but cited with the incorrect number.

The typification of the name K. blossfeldiana resolves as follows, with the original French text in Perrier de la Bâthie translated into English:

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Von Poellnitz (1934: 159) . Homotypic synonym:— Kalanchoe globulifera Perrier de la Bâthie (1928: 25) var. coccinea Perrier de la Bâthie (1928: 26) . Type:— MADAGASCAR. Northern Madagascar , Tsaratanana Massif , almost always in the forest with lichens on the peaks [‘Silve à Lichens’], in isolated stands of never more than four to five plants, at altitudes of between 1600 and 2400 m, herbarium material prepared from plants cultivated in the garden of Perrier de la Bâthie in Antananarivo and not from the wild, no date [specimen donated to Herb. P in 1932], [J.M.] H. [A.] Perrier de la Bâthie 17883 (lectotype designated by Van Voorst & Arends (1982: 575), P barcode P00374114 [Image available at http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/p/p00374114]), second-step lectotype here designated.

Designations not validly published:—‘ Kalanchoe coccinea ’ (H.Perrier) Boiteau in Boiteau & Allorge-Boiteau (1995: 188), nom. inval. ( Turland et al. 2018: Art. 36.3).

‘ Kalanchoe coccinea (H.Perrier) Boiteau var. blossfeldiana ’ ( Von Poellnitz 1934: 159) Boiteau in Boiteau & Allorge-Boiteau (1995: 190), nom. inval. ( Turland et al. 2018: Art. 36.3).

Notes on the not validly published designations:—The two ‘names’: (1) K. coccinea , published at the rank of species, and (2) K. coccinea var. blossfeldiana , published at the rank of variety, represent two different ‘names’ based on the same type, i.e., that of K. globulifera var. coccinea , which were accepted simultaneously as alternatives in the same publication by Boiteau in Boiteau & Allorge-Boiteau (1995: 188) and by Boiteau in Boiteau & Allorge-Boiteau (1995: 190), respectively. Neither was validly published ( Turland et al. 2018: Art. 36.3).

Note that these two designations are not illegitimate as stated by Descoings (2003: 148). For that to have been the case, they should have been validly published.