'...I would exhort taxonomists to put right the errors and omissions of the present work and to publish a further revision to mark the turn of the century in the year 2000'. Thus wrote Dr R.A. Dyer in the Introduction to the predecessor and basis of the present work: The genera of southern African flowering plants, of which volume 1 appeared in 1975.
Since the publication of Dyer's work, plant systematics has entered a renaissance of unprecedented magnitude. New methods and techniques, especially DNA sequencing and cladistics, have provided a wealth of new data. Proposals for improvement of acknowledged systems of plant classification are published almost daily. A branch of Botany, considered by many to be near extinction, is flourishing. With ever-increasing certainty, we can trace the pathways of the evolution of the seed plants and depict them in the cladograms. Incorporating these new findings and interpretations has proved to be a major challenge in the compilation of this work, which was originally projected to be merely a corrected, updated version of Dyer (1975, 1976).
This work covers the same area as the Flora of southern Africa (FSA): the subcontinent south of the Kunene, Okavango, Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers. In the description of distributions, countries and South African provinces are listed in a more or less north-to-south sequence: Namibia, Botswana, Northern Province, North-West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Swaziland, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Northern Cape, Western Cape and Eastern Cape. Botswana was formerly not included in the FSA and was also not dealt with in Dyer (1975, 1976).
In the interest of quick access, this work is basically alphabetically arranged [as in Taxa]. Bowing to school and textbook tradition, however, families are primarily grouped in three more or less natural assemblages: (1) GYMNOSPERMS or non-angiosperm seed plants; (2) DICOTYLEDONS or MAGNOLIOPSIDA; and (3) MONOCOTYLEDONS or LILIOPSIDA [as in All Families]. Certain families, such as Annonaceae and Nymphaeaceae, are in many respects intermediate between DICOTYLEDONS and MONOCOTYLEDONS. They are often grouped under the name MONOSULCATES because most of them, like the majority of MONOCOTYLEDONS, have monosulcate (with a single groove) pollen grains. These families are treated within the alphabetical system of the DICOTYLEDONS.
As relationships between families are not indicated by their sequence in this work, their position in the following two classification systems is shown: (1) a modified version of the widely used system of Cronquist (1988) as given in Mabberley (1997); the subclass and order of each family is indicated in brackets before each family description; (2) a combined system by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (A.P.G.) (1998) and Judd et al. (1999); the relationships of southern African seed plant families are shown on simplified cladograms and the group and order to which each family is assigned is indicated in the heading of each family data page.
The circumscription of families and genera generally reflects the opinion of the respective compiler. Where this differs from widely held views, it is usually commented on. The presumed phylogenetic position of genera in the larger families is indicated in outlines of the classification after the family descriptions.
The descriptions of families and genera, as well as the classification of genera within families, are based almost exclusively on southern African material. Only distribution and size of families and genera are also indicated on a worldwide basis. The main source for these figures was Mabberley (1997). Combined family-genus descriptions are given for all families represented locally by only a single genus.
Full treatment is given to genera represented by one or more exotic species considered to be growing spontaneously in natural veld and therefore likely to be taken as indigenous. Garden escapes are sometimes mentioned in notes under their family description. Entirely exotic families, genera and species are marked with an asterisk.
Synonyms cited are mainly those found in commonly used literature. Generic synonyms given do not necessarily embrace the entire content of the current genus.
Chromosome numbers given at the end of genus descriptions are primarily based on worldwide data for local genera obtained from the literature listed on p. 2. The following information is given:
Chromosome data were extracted by E.J.L. Liebenberg and H. du Plessis from the following sources:
FEDEROV, A. (ed.) 1969. Chromosome numbers of flowering plants. V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
GOLDBLATT, P. (ed.) 1975-1978. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Monographs in Systematic Botany, Vol. 5.
GOLDBLATT, P. (ed.) 1979-1981. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Monographs in Systematic Botany, Vol. 8.
GOLDBLATT, P. (ed.) 1982-1983. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Monographs in Systematic Botany, Vol. 13.
GOLDBLATT, P. (ed.) 1984-1985. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Monographs in Systematic Botany, Vol. 23.
GOLDBLATT, P. & JOHNSON, D.E. (eds.) 1986-1987. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Monographs in Systematic Botany, Vol. 30.
GOLDBLATT, P. & JOHNSON, D.E. (eds.) 1988-1989. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Monographs in Systematic Botany, Vol. 40.
GOLDBLATT, P. & JOHNSON, D.E. (eds.) 1990-1991. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Monographs in Systematic Botany, Vol. 51.
GOLDBLATT, P. & JOHNSON, D.E. (eds.) 1992-1993. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Monographs in Systematic Botany, Vol. 58.
MOORE, R.J. (ed.) 1968. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Regnum Vegetabile, Vol. 68.
MOORE, R.J. (ed.) 1969. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Regnum Vegetabile, Vol. 77.
MOORE, R.J. (ed.) 1970. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Regnum Vegetabile, Vol. 84.
MOORE, R.J. (ed.) 1972. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Regnum Vegetabile, Vol. 91.
MOORE, R.J. (ed.) 1973/74. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Regnum Vegetabile, Vol. 96.
ORNDORFF, R. (ed.) 1967. Index to plant chromosome numbers. Regnum Vegetabile, Vol. 59.
WATSON, L. & DALLWITZ, M. (eds.) 1988. The grass genera of the world. Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra.
Most of the contributions to this work are by the staff of the three herbaria of the National Botanical Institute. The following researchers from outside the Institute contributed: Prof. Kevin Balkwill of the Botany Department, University of the Witwatersrand; Dr Peter Bruyns of the Bolus Herbarium, University of Cape Town; Dr Leanne Dreyer of the Botany Department, University of Stellenbosch; Dr Peter Goldblatt of the Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis; Prof. A.V. (Tony) Hall of the Bolus Herbarium, University of Cape Town; Steven Hammer of the Sphaeroid Institute, Vista, U.S.A.; Dr H.E.K. (Heidi) Hartmann of the Institut für Allgemeine Botanik, University of Hamburg; Dr Cornelia Klak of the Bolus Herbarium, University of Cape Town; Dr Ashley Nicholas of the Botany Department, University of Durban-Westville; Prof. Ben-Erik van Wyk of the Botany Department, Rand Afrikaans University; and Prof. Johan Venter of the Department of Botany and Genetics, University of the Free State.
In the hard copy version (the book) directions on how to cite the individual contributions by different compilers are given on the back of the title page.
Directions on how to cite this HTML version are given here.
My sincere thanks go to the Executive of the National Botanical Institute, specifically Prof. Brian Huntley and Prof. Gideon Smith, for the opportunity to edit a work of such a seminal nature. Nicole Meyer, technical editor, co-ordinator and typesetter, was the king-(or rather queen-)pin of the entire operation; she performed her painstaking work with great dedication, expertise and patience; she also contributed several monocot families. The Editorial Board, comprising Prof. Gideon Smith, Gerrit Germishuizen, Marinda Koekemoer and Emsie du Plessis, gave direction and encouragement. The Publications Section of the NBI played a crucial role in the production of the work and saw it through the press. All members of the section gave their whole-hearted support: Sarie Brink, Emsie du Plessis, Gerrit Germishuizen, Maretha Joubert, Daleen Maree, Beverley Momberg and Sandra Turck, with a special word of thanks to Emsie and Gerrit. All authors, especially those from outside the Institute, who had the option to decline the offer to contribute, are thanked sincerely for their inputs and the spirit of co-operation in which they were made. The names of non-NBI authors are listed under Compilers above. Robert Westfall of the Agricultural Research Council spent many hours computing family attributes (some preliminary results are apparent in Identification of families; Peter Goldblatt and John Manning provided thoughts on classification of families, and glimpses into the manuscript of their forthcoming publication on Cape plants (2000); they also contributed the account of Iridaceae. Dee (Snijman) Paterson-Jones gave advice on monocots. Mabberley's Plant-book was a daily source of information and inspiration; he has accomplished the almost impossible—nay, the impossible: can you make our dear friend Franz Schubert live backwards? Mariette, my better half, spent many nights playing the plant family game on the computer, and unquestioningly accepted The Book as an excuse for any non-co-operation in the domestic realm.
The Trustees of the Mia Karsten Fund kindly approved a considerable contribution towards the printing cost of this work.
No formal cut-off date for the inclusion of new literature was fixed but the aim was to reflect the current state of knowledge. That aim was reached with varying degrees of success. The literature consulted in the compilation of families is given at the end of each family treatment. Dyer (1975, 1976) is not routinely cited. Literature referred to above, as well as much-used sources of a general nature consulted in the course of editing, include the following:
A.P.G. 1998. An ordinal classification for the families of flowering plants. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: 531-553.
ARNOLD, T.H. & DE WET, B.C. (eds.) 1993. Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 62.
BRUMMITT, R.K. (compiler) 1992. Vascular plant families and genera. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
BRUMMITT, R.K. & POWELL, C.E. (eds.) 1992. Authors of plant names. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
BURGER, W.C. 1967. Families of flowering plants in Ethiopia. Oklahoma State University Press, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
CRONQUIST, A. 1988. The evolution and classification of flowering plants, edn 2. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.
CULLEN, J. 1997. The identification of flowering plant families, edn 4. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
DYER, R.A. 1975. The genera of southern African flowering plants. 1. Dicotyledons. Botanical Research Institute, Pretoria.
DYER, R.A. 1976. The genera of southern African flowering plants. 2. Gymnosperms and monocotyledons. Botanical Research Institute, Pretoria.
GOLDBLATT, P. & MANNING, J.C. (2000) Cape plants. A conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9.
GREUTER, W., BRUMMITT, R.K., FARR, E., KILIAN, N., KIRK, P.M. & SILVA, P.C. 1993. NCU-3, Names in current use for extant plant genera. Koeltz Scientific Books, Königstein, Germany.
HEYWOOD, V.H. (consult. ed.) 1979. Flowering plants of the world. Oxford University Press, Oxford, London, Melbourne.
JUDD, W.S., CAMPBELL, C.S., KELLOGG, E.A. & STEVENS, P.F. 1999. Plant systematics: a phylogenetic approach. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts.
LAWRENCE, G.H.M., BUCHHEIM, A.F.G., DANIELS, G.S. & DOLEZAL, H. 1968. B-P-H. Botanico-Periodicum-Huntianum. Hunt Botanical Library, Pittsburgh, Pa.
MABBERLEY, D.J. 1997. The plant-book. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
STAFLEU, F.A. & COWAN, R.S. 1976-1988. Taxonomic literature 1-7, edn 2. Bohn, Scheltema & Holkema, Utrecht/ Junk, The Hague.
TAKHTAJAN, A. 1997. Diversity and classification of flowering plants. Columbia University Press, New York.
VAN WYK, B. [A.E.] & VAN WYK, P. 1997. Field guide to trees of southern Africa. Struik, Cape Town.
