List of Commelinales of South Africa

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The Commelinales are an order of flowering plants. It comprises five families: Commelinaceae, Haemodoraceae, Hanguanaceae, Philydraceae, and Pontederiaceae. All the families combined contain over 885 species in about 70 genera; the majority of species are in the Commelinaceae. Plants in the order share a number of synapomorphies that tie them together, such as a lack of mycorrhizal associations and tapetal raphides. Estimates differ as to when the Comminales evolved, but most suggest an origin and diversification sometime during the mid- to late Cretaceous. The order's closest relatives are in the Zingiberales. [1] The anthophytes are a grouping of plant taxa bearing flower-like reproductive structures. They were formerly thought to be a clade comprising plants bearing flower-like structures. The group contained the angiosperms - the extant flowering plants, such as roses and grasses - as well as the Gnetales and the extinct Bennettitales. [2]

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23,420 species of vascular plant have been recorded in South Africa, making it the sixth most species-rich country in the world and the most species-rich country on the African continent. Of these, 153 species are considered to be threatened. [3] Nine biomes have been described in South Africa: Fynbos, Succulent Karoo, desert, Nama Karoo, grassland, savanna, Albany thickets, the Indian Ocean coastal belt, and forests. [4]

The 2018 South African National Biodiversity Institute's National Biodiversity Assessment plant checklist lists 35,130 taxa in the phyla Anthocerotophyta (hornworts (6)), Anthophyta (flowering plants (33534)), Bryophyta (mosses (685)), Cycadophyta (cycads (42)), Lycopodiophyta (Lycophytes(45)), Marchantiophyta (liverworts (376)), Pinophyta (conifers (33)), and Pteridophyta (cryptogams (408)). [5]

Three families are represented in the literature. Listed taxa include species, subspecies, varieties, and forms as recorded, some of which have subsequently been allocated to other taxa as synonyms, in which cases the accepted taxon is appended to the listing. Multiple entries under alternative names reflect taxonomic revision over time.

Commelinaceae

Family: Commelinaceae, [5]

Aneilema

Genus Aneilema : [5]

Callisia

Genus Callisia : [5]

Coleotrype

Genus Coleotrype : [5]

Cyanotis

Genus Cyanotis : [5]

Floscopa

Genus Floscopa : [5]

Murdannia

Genus Murdannia : [5]

Tradescantia

Genus Tradescantia : [5]

Zebrina

Genus Zebrina : [5]

Haemodoraceae

Family: Haemodoraceae, [5]

Anigozanthos

Genus Anigozanthos : [5]

Barberetta

Genus Barberetta : [5]

Dilatris

Genus Dilatris : [5]

Wachendorfia

Genus Wachendorfia : [5]

Pontederiaceae

Family: Pontederiaceae, [5]

Eichhornia

Genus Eichhornia : [5]

Heteranthera

Genus Heteranthera : [5]

Monochoria

Genus Monochoria : [5]

Pontederia

Genus Pontederia : [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cyanotis</i>

Cyanotis is a genus of mainly perennial plants in the family Commelinaceae, first described in 1825. It is native to Africa, southern Asia, and northern Australia.

<i>Aneilema</i>

Aneilema is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, Aneilema brasiliense, is from South America. It is the third largest genus in the family Commelinaceae after Commelina and Tradescantia, and it is one of only six genera in the family to occur in both the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere.

The anthophytes are a grouping of plant taxa bearing flower-like reproductive structures. They were formerly thought to be a clade comprising plants bearing flower-like structures. The group contained the angiosperms - the extant flowering plants, such as roses and grasses - as well as the Gnetales and the extinct Bennettitales.

References

  1. ↑ Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, November 2011.
  2. ↑ Doyle, J. A.; Donoghue, M. J. (1986). "Seed plant phylogeny and the origin of the angiosperms - an experimental cladistic approach". Botanical Review. 52 (4): 321–431. doi:10.1007/bf02861082.
  3. ↑ Butler, Rhett A. (1 July 2019). "Total number of plant species by country". Mongabay. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  4. ↑ "Vegetation of South Africa". PlantZAfrica.com. SA National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "species_checklist_20180710.csv". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
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