---
title: "Kalanchoe: classification, 203 accepted species, flaming Katy and short-day flowering, pet toxicity | Floreboard"
url: https://floreboard.com/en/plants/kalanchoe/
language: en
last_reviewed: 2026-10-28
publisher: Floreboard
---

Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 5147 · 1859 · Walter Hood Fitch · public domain

# Kalanchoe Adans.

kalanchoes · Crassulaceae

- **Accepted name:** Kalanchoe Adans.
- **First published:** Fam. Pl. 2: 248 (1763)
- **Family:** Crassulaceae
- **Accepted species:** 203 (including 25 natural hybrids)
- **Native range:** 71 TDWG regions, the Old World tropics and subtropics
- **Common names:** kalanchoes
- **Databases:** [POWO](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30060186-2) · [IPNI](https://www.ipni.org/n/30060186-2) · [WCVP](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232/taxon/2333872) · [Catalogue of Life](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/577G) · [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2985928)

## Overview

Kalanchoe belongs to the family Crassulaceae. Kew gives its native range as the Old World tropics and subtropics; Flora of China counts about 125 species in Africa and Asia, four of them in China (two endemic). With Bryophyllum and others included, WCVP accepts more, listed below.

The pot plant flaming Katy is K. blossfeldiana, which Kew records as a succulent subshrub native to north-eastern Madagascar, growing chiefly in the seasonally dry tropics. Clemson Extension notes that it was introduced in 1932 by the German hybridiser Robert Blossfeld; its small, four-petalled flowers are clustered above the leaves, double varieties have up to 26 petals per flower, and colours include red, magenta, pink, orange, yellow and white.

## Classification and characters

WCVP cites Adanson’s Familles des Plantes (1763) as the place of publication and sinks Bryophyllum, Kitchingia and others as synonyms, so the plants once called Bryophyllum are now species of Kalanchoe.

Flora of China describes herbs (sometimes biennial), subshrubs or shrubs with opposite, often clasping leaves that are entire, toothed, crenate or pinnate. The terminal cymes are many-flowered; the flowers are bisexual, erect and four-parted, with a salverform corolla that is yellow (or white, red, pink or orange) and lobes longer than the tube; there are twice as many stamens as petals, and the fruit is a many-seeded follicle.

| Genus name | Published in |
| --- | --- |
| Baumgartenia Tratt. | Auswahl Gartenpflanzen: 110 (1821) |
| Bryophyllum Salisb. | Parad. Lond. 1: t. 3 (1805) |
| Crassuvia Comm. ex Lam. | Encycl. 2: 141 (1786) |
| Geaya Costantin & Poiss. | Compt. Rend. Hebd. Séances Acad. Sci. 147: 636 (1908) |
| Kitchingia Baker | J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 18: 268 (1881) |
| Meristostylus Klotzsch | W.C.H.Peters, Naturw. Reise Mossambique 6(Bot., 1): 267 (1861) |
| Physocalycium Vest | Flora 3: 409 (1820) |
| Vereia Andrews | Bot. Repos. 1: t. 21 (1798) |

## Distribution

WCVP records the genus as native to 71 TDWG botanical regions and introduced in 111 more.

Native regions (71)

AngolaAssamBangladeshBeninBotswanaBurkinaBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape ProvincesCaprivi StripCentral African RepublicChadChina South-CentralChina SoutheastComorosCongoCook Is.DjiboutiDR CongoEast HimalayaEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaFree StateGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauGulf of Guinea Is.IndiaIvory CoastJawaKenyaKwaZulu-NatalLaosLesothoLesser Sunda Is.MadagascarMalawiMaliMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNansei-shotoNepalNigerNigeriaNorthern ProvincesOmanPhilippinesRwandaSaudi ArabiaSierra LeoneSocotraSomaliaSri LankaSudan-South SudanSulawesiTaiwanTanzaniaThailandTibetUgandaVietnamWest HimalayaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

### Introduced

Introduced regions (111)

AlabamaAlgeriaAndaman Is.Argentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestArizonaAscensionAzoresBahamasBalearesBelizeBermudaBoliviaBorneoBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralCaliforniaCanary Is.Cape VerdeCaroline Is.Cayman Is.Chagos ArchipelagoCocos (Keeling) Is.ColombiaCorseCosta RicaCubaDominican RepublicEcuadorEl SalvadorFijiFloridaGalápagosGilbert Is.GreeceGuatemalaHaitiHawaiiHondurasIraqItalyJamaicaJapanKermadec Is.Leeward Is.LiberiaLine Is.MadeiraMalayaMaldivesMalukuMarcus I.MarianasMarquesasMarshall Is.MauritiusMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestNauruNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew GuineaNew South WalesNew Zealand NorthNicaraguaNiueNorfolk Is.Ogasawara-shotoPakistanParaguayPeruPortugalPuerto RicoQueenslandRéunionRodriguesSamoaSardegnaSenegalSeychellesSiciliaSociety Is.Solomon Is.South AustraliaSouthwest CaribbeanSpainSt.HelenaSumateraTexasTokelau-ManihikiTongaTrinidad-TobagoTuamotuTubuai Is.TunisiaTürkiyeTurks-Caicos Is.TuvaluVanuatuVenezuelaVictoriaWake I.Western AustraliaWindward Is.

## Accepted species

WCVP accepts 203 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-28.

Show all 203 accepted species

| Name | On this site |
| --- | --- |
| Kalanchoe adelae Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe alternans (Vahl) Pers. |   |
| Kalanchoe alticola Compton |   |
| Kalanchoe ambolensis Humbert |   |
| Kalanchoe angolensis N.E.Br. |   |
| Kalanchoe antennifera Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe apiifolia D.-P.Klein, Shtein & Callm. |   |
| Kalanchoe arborescens Humbert |   |
| Kalanchoe aromatica H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe aubrevillei Raym.-Hamet ex Cufod. |   |
| Kalanchoe × auriculata (Raadts) V.V.Byalt |   |
| Kalanchoe ballyi Raym.-Hamet ex Cufod. |   |
| Kalanchoe beauverdii Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe beharensis Drake |   |
| Kalanchoe benbothae Gideon F.Sm. & N.R.Crouch |   |
| Kalanchoe bentii C.H.Wright ex Hook f. |   |
| Kalanchoe berevoensis Rebmann |   |
| Kalanchoe bergeri Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe bhidei T.Cooke |   |
| Kalanchoe bipartita Chiov. |   |
| Kalanchoe bitteri Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Poelln. |   |
| Kalanchoe bogneri Rauh |   |
| Kalanchoe boisii Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe boranae Raadts |   |
| Kalanchoe bouvetii Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe brachyloba Welw. ex Britten |   |
| Kalanchoe bracteata Scott Elliot |   |
| Kalanchoe brevicalyx (Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier) Gideon F.Sm. & Figueiredo |   |
| Kalanchoe briquetii Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe campanulata (Baker) Baill. |   |
| Kalanchoe ceratophylla Haw. |   |
| Kalanchoe chapototii Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe cherukondensis Subba Rao & Kumari |   |
| Kalanchoe chevalieri Gagnep. |   |
| Kalanchoe citrina Schweinf. |   |
| Kalanchoe costantinii Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe crenata (Andrews) Haw. | 1 plate |
| Kalanchoe crouchii Gideon F.Sm. & Figueiredo |   |
| Kalanchoe crundallii I.Verd. |   |
| Kalanchoe curvula Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe cymbifolia Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe daigremontiana Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe darainensis D.-P.Klein & Callm. |   |
| Kalanchoe decumbens Compton |   |
| Kalanchoe deficiens (Forssk.) Asch. & Schweinf. |   |
| Kalanchoe delagoensis Eckl. & Zeyh. |   |
| Kalanchoe deliae Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe densiflora Rolfe |   |
| Kalanchoe × descoingsii Shtein, Gideon F.Sm. & J.Ikeda |   |
| Kalanchoe dineshii Syam Radh & Nampy |   |
| Kalanchoe dinklagei Rauh |   |
| Kalanchoe dyeri N.E.Br. |   |
| Kalanchoe × edwardii Gideon F.Sm. & Shtein |   |
| Kalanchoe elizae A.Berger |   |
| Kalanchoe eriophylla Hils. & Bojer ex Tul. |   |
| Kalanchoe × estrelae Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe fadeniorum Raadts |   |
| Kalanchoe farinacea Balf.f. |   |
| Kalanchoe faustii Font Quer |   |
| Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe × felthamensis Anon. |   |
| Kalanchoe fernandesii Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe × flaurantia Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe × forbesiae Gideon F.Sm. & Hankey |   |
| Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe germanae Raym.-Hamet ex Raadts |   |
| Kalanchoe gideonsmithii N.R.Crouch & Figueiredo |   |
| Kalanchoe × gildenhuysii Gideon F.Sm. & Figueiredo |   |
| Kalanchoe glaucescens Britten |   |
| Kalanchoe globulifera H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe gracilipes (Baker) Baill. |   |
| Kalanchoe grandidieri Baill. |   |
| Kalanchoe grandiflora Wight & Arn. |   |
| Kalanchoe guignardii Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe × gunniae Gideon F.Sm. & Figueiredo |   |
| Kalanchoe hametiorum Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe × hankeyi Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe hauseri Werderm. |   |
| Kalanchoe hildebrandtii Baill. |   |
| Kalanchoe hirta Harv. |   |
| Kalanchoe × houghtonii D.B.Ward |   |
| Kalanchoe humifica Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe humilis Britten |   |
| Kalanchoe × hummeliae Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe hypseloleuce Friis & M.G.Gilbert |   |
| Kalanchoe inaurata Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe inopinatum Rebmann |   |
| Kalanchoe integra (Medik.) Kuntze |   |
| Kalanchoe integrifolia Baker |   |
| Kalanchoe jongmansii Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe × kewensis W.Watson |   |
| Kalanchoe klopperae Gideon F.Sm. & Figueiredo |   |
| Kalanchoe krigeae Gideon F.Sm. & Figueiredo |   |
| Kalanchoe laciniata (L.) DC. |   |
| Kalanchoe laetivirens Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe lanceolata (Forssk.) Pers. |   |
| Kalanchoe lateritia Engl. |   |
| Kalanchoe latisepala N.E.Br. |   |
| Kalanchoe laxiflora Baker |   |
| Kalanchoe leblanciae Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe × leistneri Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe lindmanii Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe linearifolia Drake |   |
| Kalanchoe lobata R.Fern. |   |
| Kalanchoe × lokarana Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe longiflora Schltr. ex J.M.Wood |   |
| Kalanchoe longifolia E.T.Geddes |   |
| Kalanchoe lubangensis R.Fern. |   |
| Kalanchoe luciae Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe luteola D.-P.Klein, Letsara & Mangelsdorff |   |
| Kalanchoe macrochlamys H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe manambolensis D.-P.Klein, Letsara & Shtein |   |
| Kalanchoe mandrarensis Humbert |   |
| Kalanchoe manginii Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe marmorata Baker |   |
| Kalanchoe marnieriana H.Jacobsen ex L.Allorge |   |
| Kalanchoe migiurtinorum Cufod. |   |
| Kalanchoe millotii Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe miniata Hils. & Bojer ex Tul. |   |
| Kalanchoe mitejea Leblanc & Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe montana Compton |   |
| Kalanchoe mortagei Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe ndotoensis L.E.Newton |   |
| Kalanchoe neglecta Toelken |   |
| Kalanchoe nyikae Engl. |   |
| Kalanchoe × oberlanderi Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe obtusa Engl. |   |
| Kalanchoe olivacea Dalzell |   |
| Kalanchoe olivierae Gideon F.Sm. & N.R.Crouch |   |
| Kalanchoe orgyalis Baker |   |
| Kalanchoe paniculata Harv. |   |
| Kalanchoe pareikiana Desc. & Lavranos |   |
| Kalanchoe peltata (Baker) Baill. |   |
| Kalanchoe peltigera Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe perrieri Shtein, Gideon F.Sm. & D.-P.Klein |   |
| Kalanchoe peteri Werderm. |   |
| Kalanchoe petitiana A.Rich. |   |
| Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. | 1 plate |
| Kalanchoe × poincarei Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe porphyrocalyx (Baker) Baill. |   |
| Kalanchoe prasina N.E.Br. |   |
| Kalanchoe prittwitzii Engl. |   |
| Kalanchoe prolifera (Bowie ex Hook.) Raym.-Hamet | 1 plate |
| Kalanchoe pseudocampanulata Mannoni & Boiteau |   |
| Kalanchoe pubescens Baker |   |
| Kalanchoe pumila Baker |   |
| Kalanchoe quadrangularis Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe quartiniana A.Rich. |   |
| Kalanchoe rebmannii Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe × rechingeri Raym.-Hamet ex Rauh & Hebding |   |
| Kalanchoe × resendeana Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe rhombopilosa Mannoni & Boiteau |   |
| Kalanchoe × richaudii Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe × robertsonii Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe robusta Balf.f. |   |
| Kalanchoe rolandi-bonapartei Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe rosea C.B.Clarke |   |
| Kalanchoe rosei Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe rotundifolia (Haw.) Haw. |   |
| Kalanchoe rubella (Baker) Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe salazarii Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe sanctula Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe scandens H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe scapigera Welw. ex Britten |   |
| Kalanchoe schimperiana A.Rich. |   |
| Kalanchoe schizophylla (Baker) Baill. |   |
| Kalanchoe schliebenii Werderm. |   |
| Kalanchoe serrata Mannoni & Boiteau |   |
| Kalanchoe sexangularis N.E.Br. |   |
| Kalanchoe × sogae Gideon F.Sm. & Figueiredo |   |
| Kalanchoe stearnii Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe stenosiphon Britten |   |
| Kalanchoe steyniae Gideon F.Sm. & N.R.Crouch |   |
| Kalanchoe streptantha Baker |   |
| Kalanchoe suarezensis H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe subrosulata Thulin |   |
| Kalanchoe synsepala Baker |   |
| Kalanchoe tachingshuii S.S.Ying |   |
| Kalanchoe taiwanensis S.S.Ying |   |
| Kalanchoe tashiroi Yamam. |   |
| Kalanchoe teixeirae Raym.-Hamet ex R.Fern. |   |
| Kalanchoe tenuiflora Desc. |   |
| Kalanchoe tetramera E.T.Geddes |   |
| Kalanchoe tetraphylla H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe thyrsiflora Harv. |   |
| Kalanchoe tomentosa Baker |   |
| Kalanchoe torrejacqii Shtein & Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe × trageri Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe tuberosa H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe uniflora (Stapf) Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe usambarensis Engl. & Raym.-Hamet |   |
| Kalanchoe × vadensis Boom & Zeil |   |
| Kalanchoe variifolia (Guillaumin & Humbert) Shtein, D.-P.Klein & Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe velutina Welw. ex Britten |   |
| Kalanchoe × verdoorniae Gideon F.Sm. |   |
| Kalanchoe viguieri Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe waldheimii Raym.-Hamet & H.Perrier |   |
| Kalanchoe waterbergensis van Jaarsv. |   |
| Kalanchoe welwitschii Britten |   |
| Kalanchoe wildii Raym.-Hamet ex R.Fern. |   |
| Kalanchoe winteri Gideon F.Sm., N.R.Crouch & Mich.Walters |   |
| Kalanchoe yemensis (Deflers) Schweinf. |   |

## Historic plates

Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page.

- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/paradisus-londinensis-kalanchoe-pinnata.jpg)Bryophyllum calycinumThe Paradisus Londinensis · Tab. 3 · 1805,
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bot-mag-1436.jpg)Cotyledon crenataCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 1436 · 1812, Sydenham Edwards, F. Sansom
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bm-5147.jpg)Bryophyllum proliferumCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 5147 · 1859, Walter Hood Fitch

## Pot-plant care and safety

Clemson Extension advises full sun and a well-drained potting mix, as plants get spindly in dim light; nights of 7–18 °C (45–65 °F) and days of 10–21 °C (50–70 °F) are ideal, with cooler nights making the flowers last longer; overwatering is harmful, so let the soil dry slightly between waterings. Like poinsettias, kalanchoes need short days (long nights) to set buds: natural winter nights of 14–16 hours, roughly from 1 October to 1 March, bring buds after about six weeks, while temperatures above 27 °C (80 °F) during the long nights cause a “heat delay” that stops flower development.

The ASPCA lists kalanchoes as toxic to dogs and cats: the toxic principles are bufadienolides, causing vomiting, diarrhoea and, rarely, abnormal heart rhythm.

## Further reading

- [Reference library](https://floreboard.com/en/library/)

## References

- [WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232)](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232) · accessed 2026-10-28
- [Flora of China vol. 8 · Kalanchoe](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=116917)
- [Kew (POWO data on the ColPlanta site) · Kalanchoe blossfeldiana native range and life form](https://colplanta.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:274279-1/general-information)
- [Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center · Kalanchoe](https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/kalanchoe/)
- [ASPCA Animal Poison Control · Kalanchoe](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/kalanchoe)

Names, places of publication, synonyms and distribution checked against WCVP (2026-10-28); the text follows the cited sources and awaits specialist review.