Abstract
The hybrid between the two Malagasy species, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana and K. manginii (Crassulaceae subfam. Cotyledonoideae), was described as K. ×oberlanderi. This nothospecies has been the source of remarkably successful horticultural material, from which several cultivars that remain popular in cultivation globally have been derived. Some of these cultivars differ in subtle ways and are sometimes confused in the trade. In this paper such a cultivar, K. ×oberlanderi ‘Pink Flash’, is described and compared with material assigned to K. ×oberlanderi ‘Margrit’s Magic’ (or simply K. ‘Margrit’s Magic’) and to K. blossfeldiana ‘Maya’ (or simply K. ‘Maya’), with the latter likely also a selection from K. ×oberlanderi rather than from K. blossfeldiana only.
References
- Adanson, M. (1763 [July–August]) Familles des plantes. Contenant une Préface Historike fur l’état ancien & actuel de la Botanike, & une Téorie de cette Science. II. Partie. Chez Vincent, Imprimeur-Libraire de Mgr le Comte de Provence, rue S. Severin, Paris, 640 pp. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/6958#page/794/mode/1up]
- Baker, J.G. (1881 [21 February]) Notes on a collection of flowering plants made by L. Kitching, Esq., in Madagascar in 1879 (Plates VII. & VIII.). Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany (London) 18: 264–281. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/8373#page/271/mode/1up]
- Beentje, H. & Williamson, J. [illustrations]. (2010) The Kew plant glossary: an illustrated dictionary of plant terms. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey, 160 pp.
- Berger, A. (1930 [Mai]) Crassulaceae. Unterfam. II. Kalanchoideae [sic, Kalanchooideae]. 6. Kalanchoe Adanson. 7. Kitchingia Baker. 8. Bryophyllum Salisb. Unterfam. III. Cotyledonoideae. In: Engler, A. & Prantl, K. (Eds.) Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, edn 2, 18a. Verlag von Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig, pp. 378–386, 402–412.
- Bloemen Bureau Holland. (1999/2000) Potplanten, pot plants, Topfpflanzen, plantes en pot, piante da vaso, planta en particular. 1999/2000. Bloemen Bureau Holland, Leiden, 150 pp.
- Brickell, C.D., Alexander, C., Cubey, J.J., David, J.C., Hoffman, M.H.A., Leslie, A.C., Malécot, V. & Xiaobai, Jin. (2016 [June]) International code of nomenclature for cultivated plants (ICNCP or Cultivated Plant Code), incorporating the Rules and Recommendations for naming plants in cultivation adopted by the International Union of Biological Sciences and the International Commission for the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants. 9th edn. International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), Leuven, Belgium. Scripta Horticulturae 18: 1–190. [https://www.ishs.org/sites/default/files/static/ScriptaHorticulturae_18.pdf]
- Elliott, B. (2004) The Royal Horticultural Society. A history 1804–2004. Phillimore & Co., Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex, England, 432 pp.
- Flower Council of Holland. (2004) Plants from Holland naturally. 2005/2006. Potplanten, pot plants, Topfpflanzen, plantes en pot, piante da vaso, plantas de maceta. Flower Council of Holland, Leiden, 134 pp.
- Hamet, R. & Perrier de la Bâthie, [J.M.]H.[A.] (1912) Contribution à l’étude des Crassulacées malgaches. Annales des Sciences Naturelles. Botanique, sér. 9, 16: 361–377. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/24564#page/771/mode/1up]
- IPNI. (2025+) The International Plant Names Index. Available from: https://www.ipni.org/ (continuously updated; accessed March 2025).
- Lawrence, G.H.M. (1970) Taxonomy of vascular plants. The Macmillan Company, New York and Toronto, Ontario, 823 pp.
- Little, R.J. & Jones, C.E. (1980) A dictionary of botany. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Limited, New York, Cincinnati, Toronto, London, & Melbourne, 400 pp.
- Shaw, J.M.H. (2008) An investigation of the cultivated Kalanchoe daigremontiana group, with a checklist of Kalanchoe cultivars. Hanburyana 3: 17–79.
- Smith, G.F. (2022) A review of the cytotaxonomy of Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) with reference to evolutionary trends in the genus. Phytotaxa 560 (2): 153–185. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.560.2.2
- Smith, G.F. (2023) Kalanchoe ×oberlanderi (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae), a horticulturally successful nothospecies with the Malagasy K. blossfeldiana and K. manginii as parents. Phytotaxa 594 (1): 64–72. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.594.1.4
- Smith, G.F. (2025a [01 April]) Chapter 4. Breeding kalanchoes (Kalanchoe spp.) for landscaping: current initiatives and prospects. In: J.M. Al-Khayri, S.M. Jain & M.A. Wani (Eds.) Advances in plant breeding strategies. Volume 7. Breeding of ornamental crops: potted plants and shrubs. Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 91–129. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-80060-3_4
- Smith, G.F. (2025b) Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae. Madagascar. Flowering Plants of Africa 69: 56–74, plate 2406.
- Smith, G.F. & Figueiredo, E. (2018) The infrageneric classification and nomenclature of Kalanchoe Adans. (Crassulaceae), with special reference to the southern African species. Bradleya 36: 162–172. https://doi.org/10.25223/brad.n36.2018.a10
- Smith, G.F. & Figueiredo, E. (2022) Nomenclatural notes on the economically important Flaming Katy, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae). Phytotaxa 549 (1): 104–110. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.549.1.9
- Smith, G.F., Figueiredo, E. & Mottram, R. (2018) Kalanchoe ‘Margrit’s Magic’ (Crassulaceae), a new cultivar from South Africa. Bradleya 36: 227–232. https://doi.org/10.25223/brad.n36.2018.a20
- Smith, G.F., Figueiredo, E. & Shtein, R. (2021) Kalanchoe manginii. Crassulaceae: Kalanchooideae. Madagascar. Flowering Plants of Africa 67: 70–79, plate 2367.
- Smith, G.F., Figueiredo, E. & Van Wyk, A.E. (2019) Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae) in southern Africa. Classification, biology, and cultivation. Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier, London, San Diego, Cambridge (USA), and Oxford, 328 pp. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2017-0-00602-X
- Smith, G.F. & Monro, A.M. (2024) The correct name for the subfamily containing Kalanchoe is Crassulaceae subfam. Cotyledonoideae, and not Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae, with amendment of the circumscription of Crassulaceae subfam. Cotyledonoideae. Phytotaxa 672 (3): 293–298. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.672.3.7
- Smith, G.F. & Shtein, R. (2021) A review of horticulturally desirable characters in Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae): variable and deviating vegetative and reproductive morphologies useful in breeding programmes. Haseltonia 28: 106–119. https://doi.org/10.2985/026.028.0110
- Springate, L.S. (1995) Crassulaceae. 3. Kalanchöe Adanson. In: Cullen, J., Alexander, J.C.M., Brady, A., Brickell, C.D., Green, P.S., Heywood, V.H., Jörgensen, P.-M., Jury, S.L., Knees, S.G., Leslie, A.C., Matthews, V.A., Robson, N.K.B., Walters, S.M., Wijnands, D.O. & Yeo, P.F. (Eds.) The European Garden Flora. A manual for the identification of plants cultivated in Europe, both out-of-doors and under glass. Vol. IV. Dicotyledons (Part II). Press Syndicate of the Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, and Melbourne, pp. 178–185.
- Stearn, W.T. (1985) Botanical Latin. History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary. David & Charles (Publishers) Limited, Newton Abbot and London (U.K.), North Pomfret, Vermont (Vt), U.S.A., 566 pp.
- Turland, N.J., Wiersema, J.H., Barrie, F.R., Gandhi, K.N., Gravendyck, J., Greuter, W., Hawksworth, D.L., Herendeen, P.S., Klopper, R.R., Knapp, S., Kusber, W.-H., Li, D.-Z., May, T.W., Monro, A.M., Prado, J., Price, M.J., Smith, G.F. & Zamora Señoret, J.C. (2025) International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Madrid Code). Regnum Vegetabile 162. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 288 pp. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226839479.001.0001
- Van Voorst, A. & Arends, J.C. (1982) The origin and chromosome numbers of cultivars of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Von Poelln.: their history and evolution. Euphytica 31 (3): 573–584.
- Von Poellnitz, [J.]K.[L.A.]. (1934) XV. Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana. Repertorium Specierum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis. Centralblatt für Sammlung und Veröffentlichung von Einzeldiagnosen Neuer Pflanzen 35: 159–160. [https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/viewer/14775/?offset=#page=171&viewer=picture&o=bookmark&n=0&q=]
- Willes, M. (2015) The gardens of the British working class. Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 413 pp.
