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Family:
Primulaceae (primula and cyclamen family)
[= Myrsinaceae, Theophrastaceae, Maesaceae]
Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Asterids > Order: Ericales
Nine genera and about 900 species, mainly Northern Hemisphere but also SE Asia
and the south temperate region of South America. Seven genera and 20 species are
native to southern Africa, two species are naturalised and eight genera and 24 species are
cultivated in southern Africa.
Genera native to southern Africa
List from Ngwenya (2000). All these genera were Previously
placed in the Myrsinaceae.
Anagallis
About 20-25 species, native to Africa and South America and
in addition there is one species with a pantropical distribution. Six species
are native to southern Africa, two species are naturalised and an additional
species is cultivated in the region. Previously
placed in the Myrsinaceae. |
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Ardisiandra
Two species native to southern Africa - Ardisiandra sibthorpioides
and Ardisiandra wettsteinii (see
Flora of Zimbabwe), recorded from Zimbabwe. |
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Embelia
About 130 species, native to Asia, Australia, the
Mascarene Islands and tropical Africa, with three species native to southern Africa.
Previously
placed in the Myrsinaceae. |
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Lysimachia
About 150 species, ocurring in temperate and warm temperate regions. Three
species are native to southern Africa and a further two species are
cultivated in the region. Previously
placed in the Myrsinaceae. |
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Myrsine About
seven
species, native from Africa to East Asia, with two species native to southern Africa.
Previously
placed in the Myrsinaceae. |
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Rapanea About
100 species, native to tropical regions and through most of Africa, with two
species native to southern Africa: Rapanea
melanophloeos (Cape Beech) (see
Flora of Zimbabwe) and Rapanea gilliana. Previously
placed in the Myrsinaceae. |
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Samolus
About 15 species with a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring mainly in
saline marshes. Two species are native to southern Africa: Samolus
porosus and Samolus valerandi. Previously placed in the Theophrastaceae. |
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Genera
cultivated in southern Africa
List from Glen (2002).
Ardisia
Ardisia crenata (Coralberry
tree, Coral Bush) is a declared
Category 1 invasive plant for the provinces of Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal
and Mpumalanga, meaning that you can't cultivate it in these regions because
of its invasive potential. It is not listed as a naturalised species in
Ngwenya (2000) or in Ngwenya and Bredenkamp (2003). Ardisia humilis
(native to Indomalesia) is also cultivated in the region. |
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Asterolinon sp. |
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Cyclamen persicum
Native from Greece to North Africa. |
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Androsace
Two species cultivated: Androsace elongata (native to Europe and
temperate Asia) and Androsace maxima (native to Europe and western
Asia). |
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Dodecatheon meadia (Shooting
star)
Native to the USA. |
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Jacquinia macrocarpa
Native from Mexico to Nicaragua. Previously placed in the Theophrastaceae. |
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Maesa
About 150
species, native from Old World tropics to Japan, Australia and the Pacific, with
two species native to southern
Africa. Previously placed in the Maesaceae. |
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Primula
About 490-600 species, native to the Northern Hemisphere, with the
distribution extending southwards to Ethiopia, Indonesia, New Guinea and the
southern tip of South America. Twelve species are cultivated in southern
Africa. |
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Publications
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