List of Santalales of South Africa

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Santalales is an order of flowering plants. Many of the members of the order are parasitic plants, mostly hemiparasites, able to produce sugars through photosynthesis, but tapping the stems or roots of other plants to obtain water and minerals, though some are obligate parasites, with low concentrations of chlorophyll and derive the majority of their sustenance from their hosts' vascular tissues. Most have seeds without testae (seed coats), which is unusual for flowering plants.

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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]

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.

Loranthaceae

Family: Loranthaceae, [4]

Actinanthella

Genus Actinanthella : [4]

Agelanthus

Genus Agelanthus : [4]

Erianthemum

Genus Erianthemum : [4]

Helixanthera

Genus Helixanthera : [4]

Loranthus

Genus Loranthus : [4]

Moquinia

Genus Moquinia : [4]

Moquiniella

Genus Moquiniella : [4]

Odontella

Genus Odontella : [4]

Oncocalyx

Genus Oncocalyx : [4]

Pedistylis

Genus Pedistylis : [4]

Plicosepalus

Genus Plicosepalus : [4]

Septulina

Genus Septulina : [4]

Tapinanthus

Genus Tapinanthus : [4]

Tieghemia

Genus Tieghemia : [4]

Vanwykia

Genus Vanwykia : [4]

Olacaceae

Family: Olacaceae, [4]

Olax

Genus Olax : [4]

Ximenia

Genus Ximenia : [4]

Santalaceae

Family: Santalaceae, [4]

Colpoon

Genus Colpoon : [4]

Lacomucinaea

Genus Lacomucinaea : [4]

Osyridicarpos

Genus Osyridicarpos : [4]

Osyris

Genus Osyris : [4]

Rhoiacarpos

Genus Rhoiacarpos : [4]

Thesidium

Genus Thesidium : [4]

Thesium

Genus Thesium : [4]

Viscum

Genus Viscum : [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tapinanthus</i> Genus of mistletoes

Tapinanthus is a genus of mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, endemic to Africa. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek tapeinos meaning "low" or "humble" and anthos meaning flower.

<i>Thesium</i> Genus of flowering plant in the mistletoe family Santalaceae

Thesium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Santalaceae. It is particularly well represented in South Africa.

<i>Agelanthus</i> Genus of mistletoes

Agelanthus is a genus of Afrotropical plants in family Loranthaceae. They grow in trees, including Acacia and Combretum species, as hemiparasitic shrubs of varying sizes. The host plant is penetrated by a single haustorium, and the stems typically have swollen, flower-producing nodes. The flowers are often closely clustered (fascicled) with the five petals (pentamerous) fused into a tube (gamopetalous). The flower may have a swollen base and the tubes open along unilateral, V-shaped splits. The filaments remain spirally rolled inward when the flowers open, while the styles are inconspicuous, slender filaments that are somewhat thickened in the middle. Berries range from pink to orange and red in colour, and are around 1 cm in diameter.

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 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 "species_checklist_20180710.csv". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
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