List of Lamiaceae of South Africa explained

Lamiaceae (or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales commonly known as the mint or deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs. Some species are shrubs, trees (such as teak), or, rarely, vines. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution. The enlarged Lamiaceae contain about 236 genera and have been stated to contain 6,900 to 7,200 species, but the World Checklist lists 7,534.[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. 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)).

49 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.

Acrocephalus

Genus Acrocephalus:

Acrotome

Genus Acrotome:

Aeollanthus

Genus Aeollanthus:

Ajuga

Genus Ajuga:

Ballota

Genus Ballota:

Basilicum

Genus Basilicum:

Becium

Genus Becium:

Cantinoa

Genus Cantinoa:

Cedronella

Genus Cedronella:

Clerodendrum

Genus Clerodendrum:

Cyclonema

Genus Cyclonema:

Endostemon

Genus Endostemon:

Geniosporum

Genus Geniosporum:

Hemizygia

Genus Hemizygia:

Hoslundia

Genus Hoslundia:

Isodon

Genus Isodon:

Kalaharia

Genus Kalaharia:

Karomia

Genus Karomia:

Killickia

Genus Killickia:

Lamium

Genus Lamium:

Lasiocorys

Genus Lasiocorys:

Leonotis

Genus Leonotis:

Leucas

Genus Leucas:

Marrubium

Genus Marrubium:

Mentha

Genus Mentha:

Mesosphaerum

Genus Mesosphaerum:

Ocimum

Genus Ocimum:

Orthosiphon

Genus Orthosiphon:

Platostoma

Genus Platostoma:

Plectranthus

Genus Plectranthus:

Premna

Genus Premna:

Prunella

Genus Prunella:

Pycnostachys

Genus Pycnostachys:

Rabdosiella

Genus Rabdosiella:

Rotheca

Genus Rotheca:

Salvia

Genus Salvia:

Satureja

Genus Satureja:

Scutellaria

Genus Scutellaria:

Siphonanthus

Genus Siphonanthus:

Solenostemon

Genus Solenostemon:

Spironema

Genus Spironema:

Stachys

Genus Stachys:

Syncolostemon

Genus Syncolostemon:

Tetradenia

Genus Tetradenia:

Teucrium

Genus Teucrium:

Thorncroftia

Genus Thorncroftia:

Tinnea

Genus Tinnea:

Vitex

Genus Vitex:

Volkameria

Genus Volkameria:

Notes and References

  1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/incfamilies.do World Checklist of Selected Plant Families