List of Cucurbitales of South Africa

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The Cucurbitales are an order of flowering plants, included in the rosid group of dicotyledons with a cosmopolitan distribution, particularly diverse in the tropics. The order includes shrubs and trees, together with many herbs and climbers. One major characteristic of the Cucurbitales is the presence of unisexual flowers, mostly pentacyclic, with thick pointed petals (whenever present). [1] The pollination is usually performed by insects, but wind pollination is also present (in Coriariaceae and Datiscaceae).

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The order consists of roughly 2600 species in eight families. The largest families are Begoniaceae (begonia family) with around 1500 species and Cucurbitaceae (gourd family) with around 900 species. These two families include the only economically important plants. Specifically, the Cucurbitaceae (gourd family) include some food species, such as squash, pumpkin (both from Cucurbita ), watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris), and cucumber and melons ( Cucumis ). The Begoniaceae are known for their horticultural species, of which there are over 130 with many more varieties.

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]

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]

Two 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.

Begoniaceae

Family: Begoniaceae, [5]

Begonia

Genus Begonia : [5]

Cucurbitaceae

Acanthosicyos

Genus Acanthosicyos : [5]

Citrullus

Genus Citrullus : [5]

Coccinia

Genus Coccinia : [5]

Corallocarpus

Genus Corallocarpus : [5]

Ctenolepis

Genus Ctenolepis : [5]

Cucumella

Genus Cucumella : [5]

Cucumis

Genus Cucumis : [5]

Diplocyclos

Genus Diplocyclos : [5]

Gerrardanthus

Genus Gerrardanthus : [5]

Kedrostis

Genus Kedrostis : [5]

Lagenaria

Genus Lagenaria : [5]

Momordica

Genus Momordica : [5]

Mukia

Genus Mukia : [5]

Oreosyce

Genus Oreosyce : [5]

Peponium

Genus Peponium : [5]

Pilogyne

Genus Pilogyne : [5]

Trochomeria

Genus Trochomeria : [5]

Zehneria

Genus Zehneria : [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cucurbitaceae</span> Family of plants

The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in around 95 genera. Those most important to humans are the following:

<i>Citrullus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Citrullus is a genus of seven species of desert vines, among which Citrullus lanatus is an important crop.

<i>Bryonia</i> Genus of plants

Bryonia is a genus of flowering plants in the gourd family. Bryony is its best-known common name. They are native to western Eurasia and adjacent regions, such as North Africa, the Canary Islands and South Asia.

<i>Cucumis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Cucumis is a genus of twining, tendril-bearing plants in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes the cucumber, muskmelons, the horned melon, and the West Indian gherkin.

<i>Zehneria</i> Genus of flowering plants

Zehneria is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Joseph Zehner.

<i>Cayaponia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Cayaponia is the largest genus in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, with about 60 species. The plants are referred to as melonleaf. They are common from the southern United States to South America. Some species are also found in western Africa, Madagascar, and Fernando de Noronha, which is about 354 km off the coast of Brazil. It is native the southern United States to central South America and the Caribbean islands. Most species are found in rainforests and have white or yellow-green flowers. The original Cayaponia were pollinated by bats, but at least two shifts to bee pollination have occurred among some of its species. This is apparently the first clade to shift from bat to bee pollination vice bee to bat pollination. A 2011 study based on genetics placed the genus Selysia under this genus.

<i>Kedrostis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Kedrostis is a genus of ± 35 species climbing or trailing herbs in the family Cucurbitaceae. Its native range is tropical Africa and Asia.

<i>Melothria</i> Genus of Cucurbitaceae plants

Melothria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cucurbitaceae, native to the Americas from the United States to Argentina, and with some introductions in Africa and elsewhere. A number of Old World species formerly in Melothria were reassigned to Cucumis.

<i>Trochomeria</i> Genus of flowering plants

Trochomeria is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae.

References

  1. ↑ Matthews ML, Endress PK (2004). "Comparative floral structure and systematics in Cucurbitales (Corynocarpaceae, Coriariaceae, Tetramelaceae, Datiscaceae, Begoniaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Anisophylleaceae)". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 145 (2): 129–185. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2003.00281.x.
  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. S2CID   44844947.
  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 21 22 "species_checklist_20180710.csv". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
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