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.[1]

Detailed morphological and molecular studies have shown that the group is not actually monophyletic,[2] with proposed floral homologies of the gnetophytes and the angiosperms having evolved in parallel.[3] This makes it easier to reconcile molecular clock data that suggests that the angiosperms diverged from the gymnosperms around 300 million years ago.[4]

Some more recent studies have used the word anthophyte to describe a group which includes the angiosperms and a variety of fossils (glossopterids, Pentoxylon, Bennettitales, and Caytonia), but not the Gnetales.[5]

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.[6] 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.[7]

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)).[8]

Listing

The flowering plant diversity checklists include historical taxa recorded from the region, and the recognised taxa with which they are considered synonymous. Endemic, indigenous, and invasive taxa are labelled.

Acorales

List of Acorales of South Africa – Order: Acorales,

One family is represented:

Alismatales

List of Alismatales of South Africa – Order: Alismatales.

11 families are represented:[8]

Apiales

List of Apiales of South Africa – Order: Apiales,

Two families are represented:[8]

Aquifoliales

List of Aquifoliales of South Africa – Order: Aquifoliales,

One family is represented:

Arecales

List of Arecales of South Africa – Order: Arecales:

One family is represented:

Asparagales

List of Asparagales of South Africa – Order: Asparagales,

14 families are represented:[8]

Asterales

List of Asterales of South Africa – Order: Asterales,

Five families are represented:

Boraginales

List of Boraginales of South Africa – Order: Boraginales,

One family is represented:[8]

Brassicales

List of Brassicales of South Africa – Order: Brassicales,

Six families are represented:

Bruniales

List of Bruniales of South Africa – Order: Bruniales,

One family is represented:

Buxales

List of Buxales of South Africa – Order: Buxales,

One family is represented:

Canellales

List of Canellales of South Africa – Order: Canellales,

One family is represented:

Caryophyllales

List of Caryophyllales of South Africa – Order: Caryophyllales,

21 families are represented:

Celastrales

List of Celastrales of South Africa – Order: Celastrales,

One family is represented:

Ceratophyllales

List of Ceratophyllales of South Africa – Order: Ceratophyllales,

One family is represented:

Family: Ceratophyllaceae,[8]

Commelinales

List of Commelinales of South Africa – Order: Commelinales,

Three families are represented:

Cornales

List of Cornales of South Africa – Order: Cornales,

Four families are represented:

Crossosomatales

List of Crossosomatales of South Africa – Order: Crossosomatales,

Two families are represented:

Cucurbitales

List of Cucurbitales of South Africa – Order: Cucurbitales,

Two families are represented:

Dioscoreales

List of Dioscoreales of South Africa – Order: Dioscoreales,

Three families are represented:

Dipsacales

List of Dipsacales of South Africa – Order: Dipsacales,

Three families are represented:

Ericales

List of Ericales of South Africa – Order: Ericales,

11 families are represented:

Escallionales

List of Escalloniales of South Africa – Order: Escalloniales,

One family is represented:

Family: Escalloniaceae,[8]

Fabales

List of Fabales of South Africa – Order: Fabales,

Two families are represented:

Fagales

List of Fagales of South Africa – Order: Fagales,

Five families are represented:

Gentianales

List of Gentianales of South Africa – Order: Gentianales,

Five families are represented:

Geraniales

List of Geraniales of South Africa – Order: Geraniales,

Two families are represented:

Gunnerales

List of Gunnerales of South Africa – Order: Gunnerales,

Two families are represented:

Huerteales

List of Huerteales of South Africa – Order: Huerteales,

One family is represented:

Icacinales

List of Icacinales of South Africa – Order: Icacinales,

One family is represented:

Lamiales

List of Lamiales of South Africa – Order: Lamiales,

15 families are represented:

Laurales

List of Laurales of South Africa – Order: Laurales,

Two families are represented:

Liliales

List of Liliales of South Africa – Order: Liliales,

Five families are represented:

Magnoliales

List of Magnoliales of South Africa – Order: Magnoliales,

One family is represented:

Malpighiales

List of Malpighiales of South Africa – Order: Malpighiales,

20 families are represented:

Malvales

List of Malvales of South Africa – Order: Malvales,

Six families are represented:

Myrtales

List of Myrtales of South Africa – Order: Myrtales,

10 families are represented:

Nymphaeales

List of Nymphaeales of South Africa – Order: Nymphaeales,

Two families are represented:

Family: Cabombaceae,[8]

Family: Nymphaeaceae,[8]

Oxalidales

List of Oxalidales of South Africa – Order: Oxalidales,

Four families are represented:

Pandanales

List of Pandanales of South Africa – Order: Pandanales,

One family is represented:

Piperales

List of Piperales of South Africa – Order: Piperales,

Four families are represented:

Family: Aristolochiaceae,[8]

Family: Hydnoraceae,[8]

Family: Piperaceae,[8]

Family: Saururaceae,[8]

Poales

List of Poales of South Africa – Order: Poales,

10 families are represented:

Proteales

List of Proteales of South Africa – Order: Proteales,

Two families are represented:

Ranunculales

List of Ranunculales of South Africa – Order: Ranunculales,

Five families are represented:

Rosales

List of Rosales of South Africa – Order: Rosales,

Six families are represented:

Santalales

List of Santalales of South Africa – Order: Santalales,

Three families are represented:

Sapindales

List of Sapindales of South Africa – Order: Sapindales,

Eight families are represented:

Saxifragales

List of Saxifragales of South Africa – Order: Saxifragales,

Four families are represented:

Solanales

List of Solanales of South Africa – Order: Solanales,

Four families are represented:

Vahliales

List of Vahliales of South Africa – Order: Vahliales,

One family is represented:

Family: Vahliaceae,[8]

Vitales

List of Vitales of South Africa – Order: Vitales,

One family is represented:

Zingiberales

List of Zingiberales of South Africa – Order: Zingiberales,

Five families are represented:

Family: Cannaceae,[8]

Family: Marantaceae,[8]

Family: Musaceae,[8]

Family: Strelitziaceae,[8]

Family: Zingiberaceae,[8]

Zygophyllales

List of Zygophyllales of South Africa – Order: Zygophyllales,

One family is represented:

See also

References

  1. ^ Doyle, J. A.; Donoghue, M. J. (1986). "Seed plant phylogeny and the origin of the angiosperms - an experimental cladistic approach". Botanical Review. 52 (4): 321–431. doi:10.1007/bf02861082. S2CID 44844947.
  2. ^ Coiro, Mario; Chomicki, Guillaume; Doyle, James A. (August 2018). "Experimental signal dissection and method sensitivity analyses reaffirm the potential of fossils and morphology in the resolution of the relationship of angiosperms and Gnetales". Paleobiology. 44 (3): 490–510. doi:10.1017/pab.2018.23. ISSN 0094-8373. S2CID 91488394.
  3. ^ Crepet, W. L. (2000). "Progress in understanding angiosperm history, success, and relationships: Darwin's abominably "perplexing phenomenon"". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 97 (24): 12939–41. Bibcode:2000PNAS...9712939C. doi:10.1073/pnas.97.24.12939. PMC 34068. PMID 11087846.
  4. ^ Nam J.; et al. (2003). "Antiquity and Evolution of the MADS-Box Gene Family Controlling Flower Development in Plants". Mol. Biol. Evol. 20 (9): 1435–1447. doi:10.1093/molbev/msg152. PMID 12777513.
  5. ^ Soltis, D. E.; Bell, CD; Kim, S; Soltis, PS (June 2008). "The Year in Evolutionary Biology 2008". Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1133 (1): 3–25. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.463.7533. doi:10.1196/annals.1438.005. PMID 18559813. S2CID 17688086. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009.
  6. ^ Butler, Rhett A. (1 July 2019). "Total number of plant species by country". Mongabay. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  7. ^ "Vegetation of South Africa". PlantZAfrica.com. SA National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw dx dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei ej ek el em en eo ep eq er es et eu ev ew ex ey ez fa fb fc fd fe ff fg fh fi fj fk fl fm fn fo fp fq fr fs ft fu fv fw fx fy fz ga gb gc gd ge gf gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc hd "species_checklist_20180710.csv". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  9. ^ Mucina, L. (2018). "Classifying Subtropical Forests of South Africa: Data Sources and Methods". Vegetation Survey and Classification of Subtropical Forests of Southern Africa. Geobotany Studies. Springer, Cham. pp. 7–46. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-67831-3_2. ISBN 978-3-319-67830-6. Nomenclature crosswalk between names used in Mucina et al. (2007) report and the current book. This crosswalk captures nomenclature changes during the period 2007–2017 in South African taxonomic literature. Current name = name in Mucina et al. (2007) Itea rhamnoides = Choristylis rhamnoides
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