List of Cucurbitales of South Africa

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Sutherland's Begonia (Begonia sutherlandii) (32900023398).jpg
Sutherland's begonia
(Begonia sutherlandii)

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).

Contents

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]

Acanthosicyos horridus - Nara-1564 - Flickr - Ragnhild & Neil Crawford.jpg
Acanthosicyos horridus - Nara-1562 - Flickr - Ragnhild & Neil Crawford.jpg
Nara
(Acanthosicyos horridus)

Blastania

Genus Blastania : [5]

Citrullus

Genus Citrullus : [5]

Citrullus ecirrhosus-1442 - Flickr - Ragnhild & Neil Crawford.jpg
Citrullus ecirrhosus fruit MHNT.JPG
Namib tsamma
(Citrullus ecirrhosus)

Coccinia

Genus Coccinia : [5]

Coccinia mackenii, blom, Skeerpoort, b.jpg
Coccinia mackenii, loof en groen vrugte, Skeerpoort, a.jpg
Wild cucumber
(Coccinia mackenii)

Corallocarpus

Genus Corallocarpus : [5]

Cucumella

Genus Cucumella : [5]

Cucumis

Genus Cucumis : [5]

Cucumis sagittatus-2098 - Flickr - Ragnhild & Neil Crawford.jpg
Cucumis sagittatus-2100 - Flickr - Ragnhild & Neil Crawford.jpg
Decorative wild cucumber
(Cucumis sagittatus)

Diplocyclos

Genus Diplocyclos : [5]

Gerrardanthus

Genus Gerrardanthus : [5]

Kedrostis

Genus Kedrostis : [5]

Kedrostis nana 1DS-II 1-9189.jpg
Kedrostis nana
Kedrostis foetidissima, vrug, herfs, Buffelsdrift-bewarea, a.jpg
Kedrostis foetidissima

Lagenaria

Genus Lagenaria : [5]

Momordica

Genus Momordica : [5]

Momordica balsamina 1DS-II 1-6887.jpg
Momordica balsamina 1DS-II 1-6590.jpg
Southern balsampear
(Momordica balsamina)

Mukia

Genus Mukia : [5]

Oreosyce

Genus Oreosyce : [5]

Peponium

Genus Peponium : [5]

Trochomeria

Genus Trochomeria : [5]

Zehneria

Genus Zehneria : [5]

Wild Cucumber (Zehneria thwaitesii) fruits (16423330050).jpg
Wild cucumber
(Zehneria thwaitesii)

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 101 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, true melons, the horned melon, and the West Indian gherkin.

<i>Cucumis myriocarpus</i> Berry and plant

Cucumis myriocarpus, the gooseberry cucumber, gooseberry gourd, paddy melon, Mallee Pear or prickly paddy melon is a prostrate or climbing annual herb native to tropical and southern Africa. It has small, round, yellow-green or green-striped fruit with soft spines, small yellow flowers and deeply lobed, light green leaves. The melon occurs in disturbed soil and cleared or bare areas, and thrives on summer moisture.

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

Cayaponia is among the largest genera in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, with 74 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 (220 mi) off the coast of Brazil.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benincaseae</span> Tribe in the family Cucurbitaceae.

Benincaseae is one of 15 tribes in the family Cucurbitaceae.

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

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

<i>Peponium</i> Genus of plants

Peponium 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 "species_checklist_20180710.csv". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 27 September 2020.