In this work families are arranged alphabetically under the groups (1) GYMNOSPERMS, (2) DICOTYLEDONS, and (3) MONOCOTYLEDONS [as in All Families]. The relationships between families are therefore scarcely reflected by their position. A knowledge of the phylogenetic situation of a family, however, is essential if it is to be seen in a wider context. From the numerous classification systems proposed for the families of seed plants, two are reflected here, with only occasional slight changes: (1) the system by Cronquist (1988, The evolution and classification of flowering plants) which is widely used, for example in the Flora of Australia. It is given here in the modified version as presented in Mabberley (1997, The plant-book).The subclass and the order into which each family is placed in this system is shown in the heading before the description of each family. Thanks to new techniques and procedures the insight into the phylogeny of plants is improving very rapidly. The latest available classification was chosen: (2) a system based on the recent publication of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (A.P.G. 1998, Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: 531-553) and on Judd et al. (1999, Plant systematics: a phylogenetic approach). It is displayed in the simplified cladograms below in which only families recorded from southern Africa are included. The group and order to which each family is assigned is also given in the heading of each family data page. A question mark indicates that the position of the family is uncertain. Unplaced families are listed after the asterids.
