List of Commelinales of South Africa explained

The Commelinales are an order of flowering plants. It comprises five families: Commelinaceae, Haemodoraceae, Hanguanaceae, Philydraceae, and Pontederiaceae. All the families combined contain over 885 species in about 70 genera; the majority of species are in the Commelinaceae. Plants in the order share a number of synapomorphies that tie them together, such as a lack of mycorrhizal associations and tapetal raphides. Estimates differ as to when the Comminales evolved, but most suggest an origin and diversification sometime during the mid- to late Cretaceous. The order's closest relatives are in the Zingiberales.[1] 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.

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)).

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.

Commelinaceae

Family: Commelinaceae,

Aneilema

Genus Aneilema:

Callisia

Genus Callisia:

Coleotrype

Genus Coleotrype:

Cyanotis

Genus Cyanotis:

Floscopa

Genus Floscopa:

Murdannia

Genus Murdannia:

Tradescantia

Genus Tradescantia:

Zebrina

Genus Zebrina:

Haemodoraceae

Family: Haemodoraceae,

Anigozanthos

Genus Anigozanthos:

Barberetta

Genus Barberetta:

Dilatris

Genus Dilatris:

Wachendorfia

Genus Wachendorfia:

Pontederiaceae

Family: Pontederiaceae,

Eichhornia

Genus Eichhornia:

Heteranthera

Genus Heteranthera:

Monochoria

Genus Monochoria:

Pontederia

Genus Pontederia:

Notes and References

  1. Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, November 2011.