Kalanchoe elizae Berger (1903: 69)

Smith, Gideon F., 2025, The taxonomy and nomenclature of Kalanchoe elizae (Crassulaceae subfam. Cotyledonoideae) from south-tropical Africa, and its heterotypic synonyms, Phytotaxa 701 (1), pp. 41-55 : 45-52

Kalanchoe elizae Berger (1903: 69) ( Figs 3–5 ).

Homotypic synonym:— Cotyledon elizae (A.Berger) A.Berger in Hamet (1910a: 23), syn. nov.

Type:—[Nyasaland] MALAWI. Southern Malawi, ca. 65 km east of Blantyre, Mount Mulanje [Mulanje Massif], ca. 4500’ [≈ 1370 m] above sea level, cultivated to flowering in Greendale, Harare, Zimbabwe, specimen prepared when plants flowered on 24 February 1960, consisting of two sheets, [Mr] Leslie Charles [‘ Larry ’] Leach 9771! (neotype, Herb. SRGH), here designated as neotype ( Figs 6 and 7 ).

Heterotypic synonyms:— Cotyledon insignis Brown (1905 : t. 8036).

Kalanchoe insignis (N.E.Br.) N.E.Br. in Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1931: 109).

Type:—[Nyasaland] MALAWI. “Raised from seeds sent to Kew by John Mahon in 1898 from Nyasaland. Cultivated at Kew Gardens”, specimen prepared on 11 February 1905, N. E. Brown s.n. (lectotype, Herb. K barcode K 000232908! [Image available for examination online at http://specimens.kew.org/herbarium/ K 000232908]), designated by Smith (2023: 274).

Kalanchoe laurensii Raymond-Hamet (1916: 81) .

Type:— MOZAMBIQUE. [“East Tropical Africa”]. Namuli, Makua Country, 1887, J. T. Last s.n., (holotype, Herb. K barcode K 000232909! [Image available for examination online at http://specimens.kew.org/herbarium/ K 000232909]) ( Fig. 8 ).

Nomenclatural notes on Kalanchoe elizae A.Berger :—When describing Kalanchoe elizae, Berger (1903: 69–70) did not cite any material, nor reference any illustrations. Fernandes (1983: 56) stated: “ Type: cultivated material from Tropical Africa”, which was not an effective typification. Descoings (2003: 154) echoed this view and stated “ T: ex cult., not located”. The abbreviation “ T: ” is defined simply as “(nomenclatural) type ” in Eggli (2003: X).

In the absence of original material, the specimen L. C. Leach 9771 held at Herb. SRGH is here designated as neotype. This specimen consists of two sheets that are clearly marked as “Sheet I ” [two leaves] and “Sheet II” [two inflorescence branches with flowers].

Gunn & Codd (1981: 219), Smith & Williamson (1997), and Figueiredo & Smith (2021: 42, 2024: 168–169) provide biographical information on Leslie Charles [‘Larry’] Leach who collected widely, especially succulent plants, in the Flora zambesiaca , Conspectus florae angolensis , and Flora of Southern Africa regions.

Nomenclatural notes on Cotyledon elizae (A.Berger)A.Berger :—The author attribution of the then new combination, Cotyledon elizae should be given as “( A.Berger) A.Berger in Hamet (1910a: 23) ” because it was clearly made in the German text provided by Berger. In fact, Hamet did not agree with Berger’s reclassification (discussed above, under ‘Results’). The author attribution of this combination is sometimes given as “ A.Berger ex Raym.-Hamet”.

Nomenclatural notes on Cotyledon insignis and Kalanchoe insignis :—The nomenclature and taxonomy of C. insignis and K. insignis were discussed by Smith (2023: 274–275).

Nomenclatural notes on Kalanchoe laurensii :— A single specimen, J. T. Last s.n., that was collected in 1887 at Namuli, Makua Country, Mozambique (see O’Neil 1882 and Vincent 1933 on Namuli in Mozambique), was cited by Raymond-Hamet (1916: 81) when he described K. laurensii , which was named for a medical practitioner, Dr Laurens, “[...] médecin-chef du Centre Oto Rhino-Laringologique de la 4 e Région.” ( Smith & Figueiredo 2023: 218). We concur with Fernandes (1983: 56) that J. T. Last s.n. is the holotype of the name K. laurensii .

Description:—Perennial, few- to many-leaved, unbranched or sparsely branched from base, glabrous succulent, to 1.8 m tall when in flower. Stems 1 to few, 0.2–1.5 m tall, generally robust, basally 20–40(–60) mm in diam., erect to slightly leaning, tapering upwards, reddish brown or pale green, then reddish-infused, often ± leafless at flowering. Roots somewhat fleshy. Leaves 70–220 × 30–120 mm, decussate, light to mid-green to yellowish green, with a slight sheen; petiole to 15 mm long; blade succulent, broadly obovate or suborbicular to oblong, obovate-spathulate to spathulate above, then sessile, ± flat to curved upwards towards margin; apex rounded or obtuse at the tip; base rounded, tapering to broad petiole to subcuneate to attenuate into petiole-like, flat base; margins subcrenate to undulate to entire, midrib somewhat depressed above, slightly prominent below. Inflorescence cymose, (80–)100–280(–300) × 120–300(–400) mm, cymes carried panicle-like, terminal, pyramidal in outline, open to rather dense, branches dEcuSSatE, dIvaRIcatE, fLoWERING IN uppER ½–⅓; peduncle stout; pedicels 4–18 mm long, thickening towards base of flower. Flowers zygomorphic, mouth upcurved; calyx consisting of four sepals, campanulate, shed with corolla; sepals 2.5–8.0(–10.0) mm long, dark red, basally fused for 1.5–3.0 mm, broadly triangular to broader than long to lanceolate, then slightly longer than broad, sinuses broad, acute-tipped, apiculate; corolla consisting of four petals, 30–50(–55) mm long; corolla tube 20–40(–45) mm long, dark yellow to orange to reddish, broadest just above base, tapering upwards to middle, subcylindrical, slightly curved upwards, obscurely 4-angled; corolla lobes 10–16 × 4–6(–7) mm, yellowish orange to light red abaxially, yellowish-green, light reddish-infused adaxially, recurved, lanceolate to ovate-oblong, somewhat asymmetrical towards apex, apiculate. Stamens inserted in two ranks at ± middle of corolla tube; filaments flimsy, slightly curved; anthers 1.5–2.0 mm long, dark red, oblong to ovate, well exserted. Carpels 10–13(–15) mm long, tapering into the styles; styles 15–25(–30) mm long, filiform, visible at mouth to usually exserted; stigmas very slightly capitate, visible at mouth of flower; nectar scales 1.5–6.0 mm long, apically bilobed to truncate. Follicles not recorded. Seed not recorded. Chromosome number: unknown.

Distribution:— Kalanchoe elizae occurs in Malawi (see for example Strugnell 2006) and Mozambique. In the case of Mozambique, Silva et al. (2004: 50) lists the species under the synonym K. laurensii (see ‘ Nomenclature and taxonomy of Kalanchoe elizae and its synonyms’, above). However, more recently Odorico et al. (2022: supplementary material) listed K. elizae as one of the kalanchoes that occur in Mozambique.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Plants of Kalanchoe elizae are generally medium-sized—about 1.8 m tall when in flower—and multi-stemmed, with the stout but herbaceous stems generally being unbranched. This is the growth form most frequently encountered in Kalanchoe (Smith et al. 2023: 229–231). Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.

FIGURE 4. Only a few kalanchoes, including Kalanchoe elizae, have thickened roots. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.

FIGURE 5. The corollas of Kalanchoe elizae are distinctly curved upwards, making this one of the few kalanchoes that has zygomorphic flowers.This plate, t. 8036 executed by J.N. Fitch, was published in volume 1 of the 4th series—volume 131 of the whole series—of Curtis’s Botanical Magazine where the name Cotyledon insignis N.E.Br., basionym of K. insignis (N.E.Br.) N.E.Br., a heterotypic synonym of K. elizae, was published. Even though the plate represents original material under Turland et al. (2018: Art. 9.4), a different element from the original material, N.E. Brown s.n. (Herb. K barcode K000232908! [Image available for examination online at http://specimens.kew. org/herbarium/K000232908]), was designated as lectotype by Smith (2023: 274). The Curtis’s Botanical Magazine plate was accessed through the Biodiversity Heritage Library at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/14222#page/140/mode/1up, and is in the public domain. The holding institution is the Peter H. Raven Library, Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. The sponsor is the Missouri Botanical Garden.

FIGURE 6. Sheet I of the neotype specimen of the name Kalanchoe elizae. Metadata associated with the specimen are: [Nyasaland] MALAWI.Southern Malawi, ca. 65 km east of Blantyre, Mount Mulanje [Mulanje Massif], ca. 4500’ [≈1370 m] abovE SEa LEvEL,cuLtIvatEd to flowering in Greendale, Harare, Zimbabwe, specimen prepared when plants flowered on 24 February 1960, consisting of two sheets, [Mr] Leslie Charles [‘Larry’] Leach 9771. Image generated and supplied by Christopher Chapano, Herb. SRGH. © SRGH.

FIGURE 7. Sheet II of the neotype specimen of the name Kalanchoe elizae. Metadata associated with the specimen are: [Nyasaland] MALAWI.Southern Malawi, ca. 65 km east of Blantyre, Mount Mulanje [Mulanje Massif], ca. 4500’ [≈1370 m] abovE SEa LEvEL,cuLtIvatEd to flowering in Greendale, Harare, Zimbabwe, specimen prepared when plants flowered on 24 February 1960, consisting of two sheets, [Mr] Leslie Charles [‘Larry’] Leach 9771. Image generated and supplied by Christopher Chapano, Herb. SRGH. © SRGH.

FIGURE 8. Holotype, J.T.Last s.n.,held at Herb.K barcode K000232909 [image availablefor examination online at http://specimens.kew. org/herbarium/K000232909] of the name Kalanchoe laurensii Raym.-Hamet. Metadata associated with the specimen are: Mozambique. [“East Tropical Africa”]. Namuli, Makua Country, 1887. Reproduced with the kind permission of the Director and the Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.