List of Acanthaceae of South Africa explained

Acanthaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants in the order Lamiales. The acanthus family includes almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate regions. The four main centres of distribution are Indonesia and Malaysia, Africa, Brazil, and Central America. Representatives of the family can be found in nearly every habitat, including dense or open forests, scrublands, wet fields and valleys, sea coast and marine areas, swamps, and mangrove forests.

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. 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.

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)).

66 genera 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.

Acanthodium

Genus Acanthodium:

Acanthopsis

Genus Acanthopsis:

Acanthus

Genus Acanthus:

Adhatoda

Genus Adhatoda:

Angkalanthus

Genus Angkalanthus:

Anisotes

Genus Anisotes:

Asteracantha

Genus Asteracantha:

Asystasia

Genus Asystasia:

Aulojusticia

Genus Aulojusticia:

Avicennia

Genus Avicennia:

Barleria

Genus Barleria:

Blepharacanthus

Genus Blepharacanthus:

Blepharis

Genus Blepharis:

Calophanes

Genus Calophanes:

Chaetacanthus

Genus Chaetacanthus (synonym of Dyschoriste):

Chorisochora

Genus Chorisochora:

Crabbea

Genus Crabbea:

Crossandra

Genus Crossandra:

Dianthera

Genus Dianthera:

Diapedium

Genus Diapedium:

Dicliptera

Genus Dicliptera:

Dilivaria

Genus Dilivaria:

Dinteracanthus

Genus Dinteracanthus:

Dipteracanthus

Genus Dipteracanthus:

Duosperma

Genus Duosperma:

Duvernoia

Genus Duvernoia:

Dyschoriste

Genus Dyschoriste:

Ecbolium

Genus Ecbolium:

Ecteinanthus

Genus Ecteinanthus:

Elytraria

Genus Elytraria:

Eranthemum

Genus Eranthemum:

Gendarussa

Genus Gendarussa:

Glossochilus

Genus Glossochilus:

Hemigraphis

Genus Hemigraphis:

Hygrophila

Genus Hygrophila:

Hypoestes

Genus Hypoestes:

Isoglossa

Genus Isoglossa:

Justicia

Genus Justicia:

Lepidagathis

Genus Lepidagathis:

Leptostachya

Genus Leptostachya:

Mackaya

Genus Mackaya:

Macrorungia

Genus Macrorungia:

Megalochlamys

Genus Megalochlamys:

Metarungia

Genus Metarungia:

Monechma

Genus Monechma:

Neuracanthus

Genus Neuracanthus:

Nomaphila

Genus Nomaphila:

Odontonema

Genus Odontonema:

Peristrophe

Genus Peristrophe:

Petalidium

Genus Petalidium:

Phaulopsis

Genus Phaulopsis:

Pseuderanthemum

Genus Pseuderanthemum:

Pseudobarleria

Genus Pseudobarleria:

Rhaphidospora

Genus Rhaphidospora:

Rhinacanthus

Genus Rhinacanthus:

Rhytiglossa

Genus Rhytiglossa:

Ruellia

Genus Ruellia:

Ruelliopsis

Genus Ruelliopsis:

Rungia

Genus Rungia:

Ruspolia

Genus Ruspolia:

Ruttya

Genus Ruttya:

Salpinctium

Genus Salpinctium:

Sclerochiton

Genus Sclerochiton:

Siphonoglossa

Genus Siphonoglossa:

Synnema

Genus Synnema:

Thunbergia

Genus Thunbergia: