Crassula pinnata Linnaeus f., Suppl. Pl. 191. 1782; Bryophyllum calycinum Salisbury; Kalanchoe pinnata (Linnaeus f.) Persoon.

Herbs 40-150 cm tall, glabrous. Stems usually branched. Leaf blade pinnately compound with 3-5 leaflets, 10-30 cm; petiolules 2-4 cm; leaflet blades oblong to elliptic, 6-8 × 3-5 cm, margin crenate, apex obtuse. Inflorescences terminal, paniculate, 10-40 cm, many flowered. Flowers pendulous. Calyx tubular, 2-4 cm. Corolla reddish to purple, to 5 cm, base sparsely ciliate; lobes ovate-lanceolate. Stamens inserted basally on corolla. Nectar scales oblong. Follicles included in calyx and corolla tube. Seeds striate. Fl. Jan-Mar.

This species is cultivated as an ornamental and is used medicinally.

Cultivated and naturalized. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan, Yunnan [native to Africa; naturalized elsewhere].