TheFagales are anorder offlowering plants, including some of the best-knowntrees. The order name is derived fromgenusFagus,beeches. They belong among therosid group ofdicotyledons. Theanthophytes are a grouping of plant taxa bearing flower-like reproductive structures. They were formerly thought to be aclade comprising plants bearing flower-like structures. The group contained theangiosperms - the extant flowering plants, such asroses andgrasses - as well as theGnetales and the extinctBennettitales.[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.[2] Ninebiomes have been described in South Africa:Fynbos, SucculentKaroo,desert,Nama Karoo,grassland,savanna,Albany thickets, theIndian Ocean coastal belt, andforests.[3]
The 2018South African National Biodiversity Institute'sNational Biodiversity Assessment plant checklist lists 35,130 taxa in the phylaAnthocerotophyta (hornworts (6)),Anthophyta (flowering plants (33534)),Bryophyta (mosses (685)),Cycadophyta (cycads (42)),Lycopodiophyta (Lycophytes(45)),Marchantiophyta (liverworts (376)),Pinophyta (conifers (33)), andPteridophyta (cryptogams (408)).[4]
Fivefamilies are represented in the literature. Listedtaxa includespecies,subspecies,varieties, andforms as recorded, some of which have subsequently been allocated to other taxa assynonyms, in which cases the accepted taxon is appended to the listing. Multiple entries under alternative names reflecttaxonomic revision over time.
Family:Betulaceae,[4]
Family:Casuarinaceae,[4]
Family:Juglandaceae,[4]
GenusPterocarya:[4]
Family:Myricaceae,[4]
