Kalanchoe

Smith, Gideon F., 2025, John G. Baker was right all along, Kalanchoe streptantha (Crassulaceae subfam. Cotyledonoideae) is a kitchingia: refining the circumscription of the Malagasy K. sect. Streptanthae, now a monotypic section in K. subg. Kitchingia, Phytotaxa 710 (1), pp. 120-126 : 123

Kalanchoe [subg. Kitchingia (Baker 1881: 268) Smith & Figueiredo (2018: 169)] sect. Streptanthae Smith (2023:

278).

Type:— Kalanchoe streptantha Baker (1887: 472) .

Designations not validly published:—“ Kalanchoe subsect. Streptanthae ” Boiteau (1947: 9), nom. inval. ( Turland et al. 2025: Art. 39.1).

“ Kalanchoe [infrageneric unranked, as “§ 8”] Streptanthae ” Boiteau & Mannoni (1949: 113), nom. inval. ( Turland et al. 2025: Art. 39.1).

Included species:—Only Kalanchoe streptantha Baker (1887: 472) .

Excluded species:— Kalanchoe bogneri Rauh (1993: 183) .

Taxonomic note:— Kalanchoe bogneri is here excluded from K. sect. Streptanthae, and retained in K. subg. Bryophyllum . In contrast to K. streptantha that lacks a farina, K. bogneri is distinctly farinose and its flowers are various shades of orangey red to bright red rather than the yellow to yellowish green, to more rarely pinkish yellow, found in K. streptantha .

Refined description of Kalanchoe sect. Streptanthae :—Perennial shrubs, robust, sparsely to densely branched, with haphazard canopies, succulent, (0.4–)1.0– 1.2 m tall. Stems branched basally or higher up, often dichotomously, robust, 10–30 mm in diam., ± erect to variously leaning, glabrous, light green when young, brownish to greyish when older, leaf scars bulged or constricted. Leaves decussate, sparsely arranged, few to more rarely numerous especially towards terminal ½ to ⅔ of branches, slowly shed lower down, erect to gracefully curved upward and inward when young to variously horizontally spreading or spreading at 45° angle at maturity, glabrous, lacking farinose bloom, sessile to ± very shortly petiolate, dull light green to glaucous-green to purplish-infused or with pronounced purplish spots, sometimes concolorous, non-bulbiliferous, drying leathery at first; petiole ± absent; blade 40–140(–170) × 10– 30(–55) mm, lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong to very slightly obovate, ± flattened above, convex below, midrib usually conspicuous ab- and adaxially, succulent; base cuneate, somewhat amplexicaul; apex tapering to sharp but harmless tip; margins ± straight or slightly irregularly sinuate, edged with ± evenly spaced purplish or brownish spots especially abaxially, transitional leaves on peduncle similar or lacking marginal spots. Inflorescence a terminal, few-branched, few- to many-flowered corymb, up to 30 cm long, rounded-head-shaped, erect throughout to gracefully leaning sideways; peduncle erect throughout, not apically nodding pre-anthesis; pedicels 6–20 mm long, rather stout, coneshaped-enlarged towards calyx. Flowers large, pendent, glabrous, often minutely brown-spotted, waxy bloom absent, elongated-globular in bud; calyx consisting of 4(–5) sepals, persistent when dry, then papery, cream-coloured; sepals 18–22(–30) mm long, yellow or greenish, somewhat shiny at first, free portion slightly reddish-infused, forming tube, fused for ± ¾ of their length, free portions clasping corolla tube or curved away from tube once dry, acute-tipped, free portions 5–9 × 4–7 mm, deltoid-ovate, glabrous, obscuring ± ⅓ to ½ of corolla tube, papery when dry; corolla tube 35–40(–49) mm long, yellow to yellowish green, more rarely pinkish yellow, or various shades of orangey red, ± cylindrical, distinctly constricted ± in middle, to ± straight, slightly tapering to mouth, scarcely to distinctly 4-angled; corolla lobes 4(–5), 9–12 × 5–6 mm, ± ovate to ovate-oblong, erect to slightly to distinctly spreading at maturity, distinctly apiculate, same colour as tube, inside and to lesser extent outside of mouth red-veined. Stamens inserted in single series low down in corolla tube, at ± upper level of carpels, exserted ± 3–4 mm, often placed between corolla lobes; filaments ± 32–40 mm long, thin, light yellowish green, reddish-infused upwards; anthers ± 1.0– 1.5 mm long, greyish black, hastate, exserted, often protruding between corolla lobes rather than at flower mouth, often very obvious as black ‘spots’ when flower dries. Pistil consisting of 4 carpels; carpels 8–12 mm long, light yellowish green; styles 30–32 mm long; stigmas hardly capitate, light yellowish green; nectar scales ± vertically-rectangular, free, not connate, ± 2 × 1 mm, rounded above. Follicles 9–15 mm long, shiny light green to mid-green, remaining so for a long time, eventually turning dull greenish brown, then brittle, grass spikelet-like, splitting longitudinally, enveloped in dry, light yellowish to creamy white remains of calyx and corolla, wiry, dried styles persistent. Seeds 0.50–0.75 mm long, reddish dark brown to dark brown, ovate-cylindrical to banana-shaped-curved, slightly apiculate at one end, longitudinally striated. Chromosome number: 2 n = 34 (Friedmann 1971: 104, Smith 2022: 158, 168–169).