List of Pandanales of South Africa

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Pandanales is an order of flowering plants placed in the monocot clade in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group and Angiosperm Phylogeny Web systems. Within the monocots Pandanales are grouped in the lilioid monocots where they are in a sister group relationship with the Dioscoreales. Historically the order has consisted of a number of different families in different systems but modern classification of the order is based primarily on molecular phylogenetics despite diverse morphology which previously placed many of the families in other groupings based on apparent similarity. Members of the order have a subtropical distribution and includes trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants. The order consists of 5 families, 36 genera and about 1,610 species.

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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. [1]

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. [2] 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. [3]

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)). [4]

One family is 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.

Velloziaceae

Barbacenia

Genus Barbacenia : [4]

Talbotia

Genus Talbotia : [4]

Vellozia

Genus Vellozia : [4]

Xerophyta

Genus Xerophyta : [4]

Related Research Articles

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

Xerophyta is a plant genus in the family Velloziaceae named in 1789. It is native to Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula.

<i>Xerophyta elegans</i> Species of plant

Xerophyta elegans is a species of plants in the family Velloziaceae. It is endemic to South Africa and its natural distribution and habitat is restricted to Drakensberg Mountains in Mpumalanga province. The plant is evergreen and similar to other members of its family it is able to express high level or tolerance against desiccation and even long treatment with sulphuric acid under dry conditions leaves it able to revive and restart its photosynthetic abilities. Talbotia produces narrow but long, leathery leaves and white star-shaped flowers with yellow stamens. The seeds are hooked thus enhancing dispersal by animals.

References

  1. 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.
  2. Butler, Rhett A. (1 July 2019). "Total number of plant species by country". Mongabay. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  3. "Vegetation of South Africa". PlantZAfrica.com. SA National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "species_checklist_20180710.csv". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 27 September 2020.