The genus name Kalanchoe was first used by the French botanist Michel Adanson, in 1763. The name is derived from Chinese phonetic transcription term Kalan Chauhuy meaning ‘that which falls and grows’, another explanation for the name relates to words used in ancient Indian, kalanka meaning ‘stain  or rust’ and chaya meaning ‘shine or glossy’, referring to the reddish and shiny leaves of many plants in the genus.

The species name is derived from Latin words altus meaning ‘high’ and colere meaning ‘to dwell’ referring to the high elevations where it occurs. This species was described in 1975 by Professor Robert Harold Compton who served as the second Director of the National Botanic Gardens of South Africa. In 1967, Professor Compton had also described Kalanchoe decumbens which was later reclassified as Kalanchoe rotundifolia however it has since been reinstated as K. decumbens. Another species that was described by Professor Compton is the recently reinstated Kalanchoe montana formerly known as Kalanchoe luciae subsp. montana.

Kalanchoe alticola is one of 27 Kalanchoe species indigenous to the southern African region known as the Flora of Southern Africa (FSA), a floral region that includes Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. Out of all the known Kalanchoe species found within the FSA, Kalanchoe laciniata is the only one recorded in Namibia.

Kalanchoe alticola can easily be confused with K. rotundifolia but K. alticola has slightly larger flowers, the length of the calyx lobes which are normally longer than 4 mm while with K. rotundifolia, the lobes are never longer than 2 mm.

Kalanchoe is a genus of about 120 species of succulent plants that belong in Kalanchooideae a subfamily within Crassulaceae , known as stonecrop family. It is the third largest genus recognised in the Crassulaceae.

In recent years the number of Kalanchoe species in South Africa has increased due to the reinstatement of previously described species and new species being described. This is reflected on the SANBI Red List of South African Plants which currently has 13 South African species, and approximately 13 new species, including the already mentioned K. decumbens, have been added to the genus.

Several Kalanchoe species not listed on the SANBI Red List of South African Plants include the most recently discovered species such as Kalanchoe steyniae, occurring in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Kalanchoe deliae, occurring in the Barberton Centre of Endemism and Kalanchoe krigeae found in Wolkberg Centre of Endemism, both in Mpumalanga Province. Kalanchoe stearnii was reinstated and accepted as a distinct species after being separated from K. rotundifolia. In 2022, additional species such as K. gideonsmithii, named after Professor Gideon Smith, was described in KZN within the Maputaland-Pondoland Region of Endemism, while Kalanchoe klopperae, which thrives in rich, humic soil, and semi-shaded environments in Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Eswatini, was also distinguished from K. rotundifolia

Kalanchoe benbothae which was described in 2021 and is endemic to northeastern of KZN, is also found in the Maputaland-Pondoland Region of Endemism. In 2019, the endangered Kalanchoe crouchii was described in Mpumalanga, where it occurs in the Wolkberg Centre of Endemism. Kalanchoe hirta a bushveld savanna species that prefers drier habitat was reinstated in 2018 after it was sunk under Kalanchoe crenata. In 2016 and 2017, Kalanchoe winteri and Kalanchoe waterbergensis were recorded in Wolkberg Centre of Endemism. Additionally, Kalanchoe leblanciae which was primarily recorded in Mozambique has been confirmed to occur in KZN.

In South Africa kalanchoes grow primarily in the summer-rainfall and savanna region, and are absent in the succulent-rich winter-rainfall and arid regions of the country.