List of Ericales of South Africa explained

The Ericales are a large, diverse and cosmopolitan order of dicotyledonous flowering plants, The order includes trees, bushes, lianas, and herbaceous plants. Together with ordinary autophytic plants, the Ericales include chlorophyll-deficient mycoheterotrophic plants (e.g., Sarcodes sanguinea) and carnivorous plants (e.g., genus Sarracenia). Many species have five petals, often grown together. Fusion of the petals as a trait was traditionally used to place the order in the subclass Sympetalae. Mycorrhizal associations are quite common among the order representatives, and three kinds of mycorrhiza are found exclusively among Ericales (namely, ericoid, arbutoid and monotropoid mycorrhiza). In addition, some families among the order are notable for their exceptional ability to accumulate aluminum.[1] The entire order contains over 8,000 species, of which the Ericaceae account for 2,000-4,000 species (by various estimates).

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)).

11 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.

Actinidiaceae

Family: Actinidiaceae,

Actinidia

Genus Actinidia:

Balsaminaceae

Family: Balsaminaceae,

Impatiens

Genus IMPATIENS:

Ebenaceae

Family: Ebenaceae,

Diospyros

Genus Diospyros:

Euclea

Genus Euclea:

Ericaceae

Family: Ericaceae,

Acrostemon

Genus Acrostemon:

Anomalanthus

Genus Anomalanthus:

Arachnocalyx

Genus Arachnocalyx:

Blaeria

Genus Blaeria:

Coccosperma

Genus Coccosperma:

Coilostigma

Genus Coilostigma:

Eremia

Genus Eremia:

Eremiella

Genus Eremiella:

Erica

Genus Erica:

Ericinella

Genus Ericinella:

Grisebachia

Genus Grisebachia:

Nagelocarpus

Genus Nagelocarpus:

Platycalyx

Genus Platycalyx:

Salaxis

Genus Salaxis:

Scyphogyne

Genus Scyphogyne:

Simocheilus

Genus Simocheilus:

Stokoeanthus

Genus Stokoeanthus:

Sympieza

Genus Sympieza:

Syndesmanthus

Genus Syndesmanthus:

Thamnus

Genus Thamnus:

Thoracosperma

Genus Thoracosperma:

Vaccinium

Genus Vaccinium:

Lecythidaceae

Family: Lecythidaceae,

Barringtonia

Genus Barringtonia:

Maesaceae

Family: Maesaceae,

Maesa

Genus Maesa:

Myrsinaceae

Family: Myrsinaceae,

Ardisia

Genus Ardisia:

Embelia

Genus Embelia:

Myrsine

Genus Myrsine:

Rapanea

Genus Rapanea:

Primulaceae

Family: Primulaceae,

Anagallis

Genus Anagallis:

Lysimachia

Genus Lysimachia:

Primula

Genus Primula:

Roridulaceae

Family: Roridulaceae,

Roridula

Genus Roridula:

Sapotaceae

Family: Sapotaceae,

Donella

Genus Donella:

Englerophytum

Genus Englerophytum:

Inhambanella

Genus Inhambanella:

Lecomtedoxa

Genus Lecomtedoxa:

Manilkara

Genus Manilkara:

Mimusops

Genus Mimusops:

Sideroxylon

Genus Sideroxylon:

Vitellariopsis

Genus Vitellariopsis:

Theophrastaceae

Family: Theophrastaceae,

Samolus

Genus Samolus:

Notes and References

  1. (Jansen et al., 2004).