Kalanchoe diversa Brown (1902c: 210)

Smith, Gideon F., 2023, A nomenclatural and taxonomic review of the names and new combination published between 1886 and 1931 in Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) by British botanist Nicholas Edward Brown (1849 - 1934), Phytotaxa 630 (4), pp. 266-280 : 271

4. Kalanchoe diversa Brown (1902c: 210) .

Type:—[ Somaliland] SOMALIA. Brought from Somaliland by Mrs [ E.] Lort Phillips , [cultivated at] Kew Gardens [since its earlier introduction], 26 April 1902, N. E. Brown s.n. (lectotype, K barcode K 232765 [image accessible at http://specimens.kew.org/herbarium/ K000232765 ]!) ”; holotype (according to Wickens 1987: 51) is here corrected to lectotype.

Taxonomic notes:—At present the name K. diversa is treated as a synonym of K. lanceolata ( Forsskål 1775: CXI & 89) Persoon (1805: 446) (see Wickens 1987: 51, Descoings 2003: 161, and Smith et al. 2019: 172) ( Fig. 1E ).

Nomenclatural notes:— Wickens (1987: 51) stated that an unnumbered [Mrs E.] Lort Phillips specimen held at Herb. K is the holotype of the name K. diversa . However, firstly, Lort Phillips did not prepare the specimen because she “[…] brought [it] into cultivation a few years ago.” Further, this specimen cannot be the holotype because Brown (1902c: 210) did not cite any specimens when he published the name K. diversa , and there is no indication that Brown (1902c: 210) used only N.E. Brown s.n., barcode K000232765, when publishing the name (Turland et al. 2028: Art. 9.1(b )).

Note though that Mrs E. Lort Phillips is known to have collected more Kalanchoe material in Somalia in the 1890s, for example including of K. marmorata Baker (1892: 300) var. somaliensis ( Baker 1895: 214) Smith (2022b: 107) (see Smith 2021b: 98, 2022b: 107–108).

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–B. Two Kew botanists appointed in the 1860s and 1870s, in sequence: A. John Gilbert Baker (1834–1920) and B. Nicholas Edward Brown (1849–1934). C–G. A selection of species described in Kalanchoe by N.E. Brown. Where necessary, the nomenclature reflects the currently accepted names of the taxa. C. Kalanchoe ×kewensis N.E.Br., non K. ×kewensis W.Watson, an illegitimate homonym (see text for a discussion). D. Kalanchoe lateritia is the accepted name of K. kirkii. E. Kalanchoe lanceolata is the accepted name of both K. diversa and K. ellacombei. F. Kalanchoe prasina is an accepted species. G. Kalanchoe sexangularis is an accepted species. H. Elise [Eliza] Keller (1869–1944), the wife of the botanist Alwin Berger (1871–1931), is commemorated in K. elizae, the currently accepted name of K. insignis. Kalanchoe elizae was the first name published in Kalanchoe to honour a woman. The name was published in January 1903 by Berger, four months before he and Keller got married. The photograph reproduced here was taken in 1935 while Elise was visiting her son, Fritz, in Pasadena, U.S.A. Photograph credits: A. Photographer unknown. Public Domain. http://www.plantillustrations. org/illustration.php?id_illustration=176522. B. Photographer unknown. Public Domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._E._Brown#/ media/File:NEBrown04.jpg. C–G. All photographs taken by Gideon F. Smith. H. Photographer unknown; © of and reproduced with the permission, through Lutz Schmalfuss, of the Alwin-Berger-Archivs, Bürgerverein Möschlitz e.V., Germany.