This listing contains taxa of plants in the divisionPinophyta, recorded fromSouth Africa. Also known as Coniferophyta or Coniferae, or commonly as conifers, Pinophyta are adivision ofvascularland plants containing a single extantclass, Pinopsida. They arecone-bearing seedplants, a subset ofgymnosperms. Allextant conifers areperennialwoody plants withsecondary growth. The great majority aretrees, though a few areshrubs.[1] As of 1998, the division Pinophyta was estimated to contain eight families, 68 genera, and 629 living species.[2]
Although the total number of species is relatively small, conifers areecologically important. They are the dominant plants over large areas of land, most notably thetaiga of theNorthern Hemisphere, but also in similar cool climates in mountains further south. Whiletropical rainforests have morebiodiversity and turnover, the immense conifer forests of the world represent the largest terrestrialcarbon sink. Conifers are of great economic value forsoftwoodlumber andpaper production.[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.[3] Ninebiomes have been described in South Africa:Fynbos, SucculentKaroo,desert,Nama Karoo,grassland,savanna,Albany thickets, theIndian Ocean coastal belt, andforests.[4]
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 (32)), andPteridophyta {cryptograms(408)).[5]
