Kleinia is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family.Miller, Philip. 1754. Gardeners Dictionary...Abridged...fourth edition 2:729Tropicos, Kleinia Mill. Kleinia contains around 50 species and is distributed from Morocco and the Canary Islands, throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, South Asia and Indochina. It is closely related to the genus Senecio but is distinguished primarily by having succulent stems or leaves.
Description Vegetative characteristics Kleinia are upright, perennial, succulent, 1–2.5 m tall shrubs or subshrubs with fleshy, 3–6 cm wide stems and tuberous roots. Generative characteristics The flowers are white, yellow, or red.
Taxonomy It was described by Philip Miller in 1754.Kleinia Mill. (n.d.). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:3287707-4 Etymology Kleinia commemorates Dr. Jacob Theodor Klein, a German botanist. Species The genus Kleinia has 56 species: Species
Kleinia abyssinica (A.Rich.) A.Berger Kleinia amaniensis (Engl.) A.Berger Kleinia anteuphorbium DC. Cacalia anteuphorbium L. Senecio anteuphorbium (L.) Sch. Bip. Kleinia breviflora C.Jeffrey Kleinia caespitosa Thulin Kleinia cephalophora Compton Kleinia cliffordiana (Hutch.) C.D.Adams Kleinia curvata Thulin Kleinia dolichocoma C.Jeffrey Kleinia fulgens Hook.f. Kleinia galpinii Hook.f. Kleinia gracilis Thulin Kleinia grantii (Oliv. & Hiern) Hook.f. Kleinia gregorii (S.Moore) C.Jeffrey Kleinia gypsophila J.-P.Lebrun & Stork Kleinia implexa (P.R.O.Bally) C.Jeffrey Kleinia isabellae Dioli & Mesfin Kleinia kleiniiformis (Suess.) Boom. Senecio kleiniiformis Suess. Kleinia kleinioides (Sch.Bip.) M.Taylor Kleinia leptophylla C.Jeffrey Kleinia longiflora DC. Senecio longiflorus (DC.) Sch.Bip. Kleinia lunulata (Chiov.) Thulin Kleinia madagascariensis (Humbert) P. Halliday Kleinia mweroensis (Baker) C.Jeffrey Kleinia negrii Cufod. Kleinia neriifolia Haw. Senecio kleinia Less. Kleinia nogalensis (Chiov.) Thulin Kleinia odora (Forssk.) DC. Kleinia ogadensis Thulin Kleinia oligodonta C.Jeffrey Kleinia patriciae C.Jeffrey Kleinia pendula (Forssk.) DC. Kleinia petraea (R.E.Fr.) C.Jeffrey Notonia petraea R.E.Fr. Senecio jacobsenii G.D.Rowley Kleinia picticaulis (P.R.O.Bally) C.Jeffrey Kleinia rowleyana (H.Jacobsen) G.Kunkel Kleinia sabulosa Thulin Kleinia saginata P. Halliday Kleinia schwartzii L.E.Newton Kleinia schweinfurthii (Oliv. & Hiern) A.Berger Kleinia scottii (Balf.f.) P.Halliday Senecio scottii Balf.f Kleinia scottioides C.Jeffrey Kleinia squarrosa Cufod. Kleinia stapeliiformis (E.Phillips) Stapf Kleinia tortuosa Thulin Kleinia triantha Chiov. Kleinia tuberculata Thulin Kleinia vermicularis C.Jeffrey
Formerly included
Senecio articulatus (L.f.) Sch. Bip. Kleinia articulata (L.f.) Haw. Senecio radicans (L.f.) Sch. Bip. Kleinia radicans Haw. ex DC. Porophyllum ruderale subsp. ruderale Kleinia ruderalis Jacq. Stevia selloi (Spreng.) B.L.Rob. Kleinia selloi Spreng
Use Kleinia species are used as herbal medicine.Tegegne, B. A., Begashaw, T., Belay, W. Y., Tariku, M. K., Zeleke, T. K., Jemal, M., ... & Dagne, A. (2025). Kleinia (Asteraceae): comprehensive review of ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical profiles, ethnopharmacological applications, and toxicological insights. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 15, 1469887.
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