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Family: Commelinaceae Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Monocotyledons > Commelinales
Forty genera and 652 species (tropical and temperate
regions), with seven genera and 48 species native to southern Africa, and two
genera and two species naturalised. An additional four genera and 15 species are
cultivated in the region.
Genera native to southern Africa
Information mainly from Fish (2000).
Aneilema About 62 species, mainly occurring in tropical
Africa, with 13 species native to southern Africa. |
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Coleotrype Nine species,
native to Africa and Madagascar, with one species,
Coleotrype
natalensis, native to southern Africa. |
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Commelina About 170
species, occurring in the warmer regions of the world, with 20 species in
southern Africa. Features of the capsules and seeds are import in species
identification. |
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Cyanotis
About 50 species, native to warm regions of Africa, Asia and northern
Australia, with nine species native to southern Africa. |
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Floscopa About 20 species,
native to warm regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, Central and South
America, with three species native to southern Africa. |
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Murdannia About 50
species, occurring in the tropics and warm temperate regions worldwide,
with the greatest diversity in tropical Asia.
Murdannia simplex is the only
species native to southern Africa. In addition, Murdannia clarkeana is
cultivated in the region. |
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Triceratella
One species, Triceratella drummondii, native to Zimbabwe and
Mozambique. |
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Genera naturalised in southern Africa
Information mainly from Fish (2000).
Gibasis
Eleven species worldwide, of which one Gibasis pellucida is
cultivated in southern Africa. It occasionally escapes to become naturalised
in high rainfall areas. |
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Tradescantia About 60 species, native to North and South America. At least
10
species have been cultivated in southern African gardens of which one, Tradescantia
flumensis, has become naturalised in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. |
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Other genera, cultivated in
southern Africa
Information from Glen (2002).
Callisia
repens Native to Central America. |
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Dichorisandra thyrsiflora
Native to Brazil. |
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Palisota mannii
Native to tropical Africa. |
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Tinantia undata
Native to Central America. |
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Publications
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Fish, L. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: Seed Plants of
Southern Africa (ed. O.A. Leistner). Strelitzia 10: 591-593.
National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
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Glen, H.F. 2002. Cultivated Plants of
Southern Africa. Jacana, Johannesburg.
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