List of Commelinales of South Africa
Flowering plants in the order Commelinales recorded from South Africa
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 .[ 2]
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.[ 3] 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 .[ 4]
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)).[ 5]
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 ,[ 5]
Aneilema
Genus Aneilema :[ 5]
Aneilema aequinoctiale (P.Beauv.) Loudon, indigenous
Aneilema arenicola Faden, indigenous
Aneilema brunneospermum Faden, indigenous
Aneilema dregeanum Kunth, indigenous
Aneilema dregeanum Kunth subsp. dregeanum , indigenous
Aneilema hockii De Wild. indigenous
Aneilema hockii De Wild. subsp. hockii , indigenous
Aneilema hockii De Wild. subsp. longiaxis Faden, indigenous
Aneilema indehiscens Faden, indigenous
Aneilema indehiscens Faden subsp. lilacinum Faden, indigenous
Aneilema longirrhizum Faden, endemic
Aneilema nicholsonii C.B.Clarke, indigenous
Aneilema zebrinum Chiov. indigenous
Callisia
Genus Callisia :[ 5]
Coleotrype
Genus Coleotrype :[ 5]
Coleotrype natalensis C.B.Clarke, indigenous
Commelina africana L. indigenous
Commelina africana L. var. africana , indigenous
Commelina africana L. var. barberae (C.B.Clarke) C.B.Clarke, indigenous
Commelina africana L. var. krebsiana (Kunth) C.B.Clarke, indigenous
Commelina africana L. var. lancispatha C.B.Clarke, indigenous
Commelina bella Oberm. endemic
Commelina benghalensis L. indigenous
Commelina diffusa Burm.f. indigenous
Commelina diffusa Burm.f. subsp. diffusa , indigenous
Commelina diffusa Burm.f. subsp. scandens (Welw. ex C.B.Clarke) Oberm. indigenous
Commelina eckloniana Kunth, indigenous
Commelina erecta L. indigenous
Commelina forskaolii Vahl, indigenous
Commelina imberbis Ehrenb. ex Hassk. indigenous
Commelina krebsiana Kunth, accepted as Commelina africana L. var. krebsiana (Kunth) C.B.Clarke, indigenous
Commelina livingstonii C.B.Clarke, indigenous
Commelina modesta Oberm. indigenous
Commelina petersii Hassk. indigenous
Commelina rogersii Burtt Davy, endemic
Commelina subulata Roth, indigenous
Commelina zambesica C.B.Clarke, indigenous
Cyanotis
Genus Cyanotis :[ 5]
Floscopa
Genus Floscopa :[ 5]
Murdannia
Genus Murdannia :[ 5]
Tradescantia
Genus Tradescantia :[ 5]
Zebrina
Genus Zebrina :[ 5]
Haemodoraceae
Family: Haemodoraceae ,[ 5]
Anigozanthos
Genus Anigozanthos :[ 5]
Barberetta
Genus Barberetta :[ 5]
Dilatris
Genus Dilatris :[ 5]
Wachendorfia
Genus Wachendorfia :[ 5]
Pontederiaceae
Family: Pontederiaceae ,[ 5]
Eichhornia
Genus Eichhornia :[ 5]
Heteranthera
Genus Heteranthera :[ 5]
Monochoria
Genus Monochoria :[ 5]
Pontederia
Genus Pontederia :[ 5]
Pontederia cordata L. not indigenous, naturalised, invasive
Pontederia cordata L. var. ovalis Solms, not indigenous, naturalised
References
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