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
Author
Smith, Gideon F.
text
Phytotaxa
2024
2024-06-21
655
1
1
20
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.655.1.1
journal article
10.11646/phytotaxa.655.1.1
1179-3163
13217051
Kalanchoe
[subg.
Kalanchoe
sect.
Raveta
] ser.
Longiflorae
Gideon F.Sm.,
ser. nov.
(
Figs 3
and
4
)
Type
:—
Kalanchoe longiflora
Wood (1903
: t. 320),
designated here
.
FIGURE 3.
Kalanchoe longiflora
is the type species of
K
. [sect
Raveta
] ser.
Longiflorae
. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.
Diagnosis
:—Taxa grouped in
K
. ser.
Longiflorae
differ from other taxa included in
Kalanchoe
sect.
Raveta
by a combination of characters that includes that they are glabrous, distinctly or slightly red- or orange infused, herbaceous, succulent plants that lack a dense, white-waxy layer.
Stems
are distinctly angled and often weak.
Leaves
are round to oblong to obovate, variously sized, generally distinctly or slightly recurved, and the
margins
are crenate. The
inflorescence
is a dense-flowered elongate thyrse.
Flowers
are erect to horizontally slightly spreading at anthesis. The
corolla tube
is often strongly greenish-infused, glabrous, and lacks a white-waxy substance. The
corolla lobes
are yellow, slightly erect, horizontally spreading or recurved, with the
filaments
being short, inserted ± medially or higher up in the corolla tube, and are often in two distinct whorls.
Anthers
are included or very slightly exserted. The
squamae
are ribbon-like-linear.
Description
:—Perennial, glabrous, intensely or slightly red- or orange-infused, medium-sized, herbaceous, shrubby, terrestrial, succulent plants.
Stems
distinctly angled, often weak, shrub-like branched, sprouting new stems from base after flowering or sometimes higher up along stems and branches.
Leaves
opposite, free or basally contiguous, fleshy, glabrous, lacking white-waxy layer, persistent or deciduous lower down, elliptic to ovate to obovate;
margins
variously crenate.
Inflorescence
a terminal, many- but generally sparse-flowered, flat-topped thyrse, 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 to spreading-erect, ± gradually urceolate;
calyx
4-partite, with sepals slightly fused basally;
sepals
small;
corolla
4-partite, fused into a tube;
corolla tube
much longer than calyx and lobes, glabrous lacking white-waxy layer;
corolla lobes
horizontally spreading to recurved, often nearly round;
stamens
8, often in two distinct whorls;
filaments
glabrous, fused to corolla tube medially or higher up;
anthers
included or very slightly exserted;
carpels
4, free;
squamae
4, ribbon-like-linear, tapering slightly upwards;
ovary
apically ± abruptly constricted;
style
short.
Seed
ellipsoid to slightly banana-shaped-curved, very small, numerous.
Included species
:—Three (see
Table 1, B.1–B
.
3
). 1.
Kalanchoe longiflora
Wood (1903
: t. 320) (
Fig. 3
); 2.
K. leblanciae
Hamet (1912: 294)
(
Fig. 4
); and 3.
K. sexangularis
Brown (1913: 120)
.
FIGURE 4.
The gradually urceolate flowers of representatives of
Kalanchoe
[sect.
Raveta
] ser.
Longiflorae
are borne erectly to erectlyspreading, as here in the case of
K. leblanciae
. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.
FIGURE 5.
Kalanchoe rotundifolia
is the type species of
K
. [sect.
Raveta
] ser.
Rotundifoliae
. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.
Kalanchoe
[subg.
Kalanchoe
sect.
Raveta
] ser.
Rotundifoliae
Gideon F.Sm.,
ser. nov.
(
Figs 5
and
6
)
Type
:—
Kalanchoe rotundifolia
(Haworth 1824: 188) Haworth (1825: 31)
,
designated here
.
Diagnosis
:—Taxa grouped in
K
. ser.
Rotundifoliae
differ from other taxa included in
Kalanchoe
by a combination of characters that includes that they are glabrous, glaucous or generally bright to yellowish green, herbaceous, small-growing succulent plants.
Leaves
are variously shaped and sized but generally ovate to obovate and small, straight, flat, rarely longitudinally folded, and rarely slightly recurved. Leaf
margins
are entire or variously crenate. The
inflorescence
is a small, sparse- to, more rarely, dense-flowered corymbose cyme.
Flowers
are erect at anthesis. The
corolla tube
is abruptly urceolate and often greenish to strongly greenish-infused, glabrous, and lack a white-waxy layer, with the lanceolate-narrowed
corolla lobes
being various shades of pinkish, red, orange, or yellow, never white, slightly erect, horizontally spreading or recurved.
Filaments
are short, inserted ± medially or higher up in corolla tube, and often in two distinct whorls.
Anthers
are included.
Squamae
are ribbon-like-linear.
FIGURE 6.
The flowers of representatives of
Kalanchoe
[sect.
Raveta
] ser.
Rotundifoliae
are generally abruptly urceolate, as here, in the case of
K. klopperae
. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.
Description
:—Annual, biennial, multiannual or perennial, glabrous, glaucous to variously bright green to yellowish green, small, herbaceous, terrestrial or sometimes epiphytic, succulent plants.
Stems
usually weak, often unbranched at least at first, if not annual, sprouting new stems from base after flowering or higher up along stems and branches.
Leaves
glaucous to bright green to yellowish green, sometimes weakly reddish- or purplish-infused, opposite, free, fleshy, glabrous, white-waxy layer absent, usually deciduous lower down, variably obovate to oblanceolate to clavate to oblong to round;
margins
entire or variously crenate.
Inflorescence
a small, dense- or sparse-flowered corymbose cyme, terminal, 1- to many-flowered, growing point gradually transitioning into peduncle with regular basal leaves lower down and similar, but much smaller, often very widely spaced, bract-like leaves higher up.
Flowers
4-merous, erect, abruptly urceolate;
calyx
4-partite, with sepals hardly fused basally;
sepals
minute or, more rarely, prominent;
corolla
4-partite, fused into a very narrow tube;
corolla tube
abruptly urceolate, usually much longer than calyx and lobes, glabrous, lacking white-waxy layer, often glaucous to purplish;
corolla lobes
patent, erectly spreading to recurved;
stamens
8, often in two distinct whorls;
filaments
glabrous, fused to corolla tube medially or higher up;
anthers
included;
carpels
4, free;
squamae
4, linear;
ovary
apically ± abruptly constricted, sometimes very slightly stipitate;
style
short.
Seed
ellipsoid to slightly banana-shaped-curved, very small, numerous.
Included species
:—Nine (see
Table 1, C.1–C
.9). 1.
Kalanchoe rotundifolia
(Haworth 1824: 188) Haworth (1825: 31)
(
Fig. 5
); 2.
K. stearnii
Raymond-Hamet (1941: 334)
; 3.
K. decumbens
Compton (1967: 294)
; 4.
K. alticola
Compton (1975: 47)
; 5.
K. neglecta
Toelken (1978: 90)
; 6.
K. waterbergensis
Van Jaarsveld (2017: 169)
; 7.
K. klopperae
Smith & Figueiredo (2022c: 106)
(
Fig. 6
); 8.
K. gideonsmithii
Crouch & Figueiredo (2022: 234)
; 9.
K. krigeae
Smith & Figueiredo (2023b: 284)
; and 10.
Kalanchoe
sp. nov.