Herbacea Gideon F.Sm., 2025

Kalanchoe View in CoL [subg. Bryophyllum sect. Invasores ] ser. Herbacea Gideon F.Sm. , ser. nov.

Type:— Kalanchoe daigremontiana Raymond-Hamet & Perrier de la Bâthie (1914: 128) ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ), here designated.

Designations not validly published:—“ Kalanchoe [sect. Bryophyllum ] subsect. Bulbilliferae ” Boiteau (1947: 8), nom. inval. ( Turland et al. 2018: Art. 39.1), by inference because included species were not explicitly stated.

“ Kalanchoe [sect. Bryophyllum ] [infragen. unranked, as an (unnumbered) “§”] Bulbilliferae ” Boiteau & Mannoni (1949a: 14), nom. inval. ( Turland et al. 2018: Art. 39.1), pro parte, excluding K. tubiflora (Harvey 1862: 380) Hamet (1912: 44) , i.e., K. delagoensis [see also Boiteau & Mannoni (1949b: 43–44)].

Informally proposed “Groupe” not intended as a name sensu Turland et al. (2018: Art. 6.3):—Groupe VI. Bulbilliferae Boiteau & Allorge-Boiteau (1995: 16 [page not numbered], 89), pro parte, excluding K. tubiflora , i.e., K. delagoensis .

Included taxa (including the type species) in alphabetical sequence:—Four species. [1] Kalanchoe daigremontiana Raymond-Hamet & Perrier de la Bâthie (1914: 128) , [2] K. inopinata Rebmann (2023: 6) , [3] K. laetivirens Descoings (1997: 85) (treated as K. × laetivirens by Smith 2020a: 105), and [4] K. sanctula Descoings (1997: 87) .

Diagnosis:—The species included in K. ser. Herbacea , differ from the other taxa included in K. sect. Invasores, i.e., those included in K. ser. Invasores, K. ser. Fruticosa , and K. ser. Vilana, by a combination of characters, including that plants are usually thinstem med, biennial herbs, with the stems generally being unbranched, erect to leaning, herbaceous, very rarely sprouting few stilt-like roots, and lacking a peeling bark; have generally lengthwise-folded, petiolate, decussate leaves that vary from elliptic to obovate to elongate-triangular and are basally often auriculate to peltate; leaf margins that are phyllo-bulbiliferous on small, duct-like pedestals; inflorescences being erect, terminal, branched, many-flowered corymbose cymes; and have colourful, pendent flowers at anthesis, with the flowers generally being flori-bulbiliferous post-anthesis. Bulbil production is constitutive in K. ser. Herbacea .

Description:—Bi- or, rarely, triennial, glabrous, medium-sized, robust shrub-like succulent herbs, to 0.8–1.4 m tall when in flower. Stem simple or very rarely branched, erect to leaning, then curved upwards, green to yellowish to brownish. Leaves auriculate to distinctly peltate with basal blade ‘wings’ often stretching well beyond point of petiole attachment, smooth, petiolate, ± flattened above and below to strongly guttered, adaxially uniformly green or yellowish to brownish green, abaxially variously spotted with purplish, pinkish, or brownish blotches arranged into stripes and skeleton-like configurations on lighter background; petiole green or yellow and purple-infused, succulent; blade elliptic to obovate to elongate-triangular, often irregularly folded lengthwise especially when under environmental stress, succulent; base broadened, rounded, auriculate to peltate; apex subacute to acute to bluntly rounded; margins irregularly dentate with plantlets developing on duct-like pedestals. Inflorescence a terminal, apically branched, many-flowered, head-shaped corymb or branched, seemingly compounded inflorescence, successively produced corymbs arising from single peduncle, erect, often bulbiliferous after flowering, forming discrete, large bulbils; peduncle straight, generally light greenish to purple or yellowish green; pedicels glabrous. Flowers pendent, glabrous, subtended by small bracts that soon shrivel, waxy bloom ± absent, papery when dry; calyx tubular for ± ½–⅔, somewhat succulent, shiny light green infused with purple to almost uniformly purple; sepals free portion short-lanceolate to elongated-triangular, acute-tipped, obscuring ± ¼ of corolla tube; corolla generally dull light to dark pinkish purple, pink-infused green around carpels, tube ± funnel-shaped, more or less cylindrical lower down, often narrowed at carpel height, gradually widening higher up, flared at mouth; lobes ± round to obovate, apically rounded-obtuse, minutely apiculate. Stamens inserted below middle of corolla tube at ± upper level of carpels, included or hardly exserted; filaments thin, generally purple to purplish red; anthers greyish black, hardly exserted. Pistil consisting of 4 carpels; carpels shiny mid-green; nectar scales ± square, slightly narrowing apically, free, slightly indented above. Chromosome numbers: 2 n = 34 ( Smith 2022b: 158, 163, 167, 170). The veracity of the identifications of the material of K. daigremontiana studied by Sharma & Gosh (1967: 318–319) and for which they recorded 2 n numbers of 60 [a deviating number for Kalanchoe ], 68 [tetraploid], and 176 [ca. decaploid] could not be verified and confirmed, and the species was interpreted as diploid by Smith (2022b: 163), as is done here.