Flowering plants in the order Commelinales recorded from South Africa
TheCommelinales are anorder offlowering plants . It comprises five families:Commelinaceae ,Haemodoraceae ,Hanguanaceae ,Philydraceae , andPontederiaceae . All the families combined contain over 885 species in about 70genera ; the majority of species are in theCommelinaceae . Plants in the order share a number ofsynapomorphies that tie them together, such as a lack ofmycorrhizal associations andtapetal raphides . Estimates differ as to when the Comminales evolved, but most suggest an origin and diversification sometime during the mid- to lateCretaceous . The order's closest relatives are in theZingiberales .[ 1] 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 .[ 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] 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 (33)), andPteridophyta (cryptogams (408)).[ 5]
Threefamilies 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:Commelinaceae ,[ 5]
GenusAneilema :[ 5]
Aneilema aequinoctiale (P.Beauv.) Loudon, indigenousAneilema arenicola Faden, indigenousAneilema brunneospermum Faden, indigenousAneilema dregeanum Kunth, indigenousAneilema dregeanum Kunth subsp.dregeanum , indigenousAneilema hockii De Wild. indigenousAneilema hockii De Wild. subsp.hockii , indigenousAneilema hockii De Wild. subsp.longiaxis Faden, indigenousAneilema indehiscens Faden, indigenousAneilema indehiscens Faden subsp.lilacinum Faden, indigenousAneilema longirrhizum Faden, endemicAneilema nicholsonii C.B.Clarke, indigenousAneilema zebrinum Chiov. indigenousGenusCallisia :[ 5]
GenusColeotrype :[ 5]
Coleotrype natalensis C.B.Clarke, indigenousCommelina africana L. indigenousCommelina africana L. var.africana , indigenousCommelina africana L. var.barberae (C.B.Clarke) C.B.Clarke, indigenousCommelina africana L. var.krebsiana (Kunth) C.B.Clarke, indigenousCommelina africana L. var.lancispatha C.B.Clarke, indigenousCommelina bella Oberm. endemicCommelina benghalensis L. indigenousCommelina diffusa Burm.f. indigenousCommelina diffusa Burm.f. subsp.diffusa , indigenousCommelina diffusa Burm.f. subsp.scandens (Welw. ex C.B.Clarke) Oberm. indigenousCommelina eckloniana Kunth, indigenousCommelina erecta L. indigenousCommelina forskaolii Vahl, indigenousCommelina imberbis Ehrenb. ex Hassk. indigenousCommelina krebsiana Kunth, accepted asCommelina africana L. var.krebsiana (Kunth) C.B.Clarke, indigenousCommelina livingstonii C.B.Clarke, indigenousCommelina modesta Oberm. indigenousCommelina petersii Hassk. indigenousCommelina rogersii Burtt Davy, endemicCommelina subulata Roth, indigenousCommelina zambesica C.B.Clarke, indigenousGenusCyanotis :[ 5]
GenusFloscopa :[ 5]
GenusMurdannia :[ 5]
GenusTradescantia :[ 5]
GenusZebrina :[ 5]
Family:Haemodoraceae ,[ 5]
GenusAnigozanthos :[ 5]
GenusBarberetta :[ 5]
GenusDilatris :[ 5]
GenusWachendorfia :[ 5]
Family:Pontederiaceae ,[ 5]
GenusEichhornia :[ 5]
GenusHeteranthera :[ 5]
GenusMonochoria :[ 5]
GenusPontederia :[ 5]
Pontederia cordata L. not indigenous, naturalised, invasivePontederia cordata L. var.ovalis Solms, not indigenous, naturalised
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