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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 six genera and 39 species indigenous to southern Africa, and one
genus and species naturalised. An additional six genera and 16 species are
cultivated in the region.
Genera indigenous to southern Africa
Information mainly from Fish (2000).
Aneilema About 62 species,
mainly occurring in tropical Africa, with 11 species indigenous to southern Africa. |
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Coleotrype Nine species,
native to Africa and Madagascar, with one species, Coleotrype
natalensis, indigenous to southern Africa. |
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Commelina About 170
species, occurring in the warmer regions of the world, with 16 species
indigenous to
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 7
species indigenous to southern Africa. |
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Floscopa About 20 species,
native to warm regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, Central and South
America, with 3 species indigenous 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 indigenous to southern Africa. |
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Genera naturalised in southern Africa
Information mainly from Fish (2000).
* Tradescantia About 60 species, native to North and South America. At least 11
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).
Palisota
One species cultivated: Palisota mannii, which
originates from tropical Africa. |
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Hadromelas
One species cultivated (species undetermined). |
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Dichorisandra
One species cultivated: Dichorisandra thyrsiflora, which originates
from Brazil. |
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Tinantia
One species cultivated: Tinantia undata, which
originates from Central America. |
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Gibasis
One species cultivated: Gibasis pellucida, which
originates from Mexico. |
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Callisia
One species cultivated: Callisea repens, which
originates from 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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