Common Genera Between Southern Africa and California
These are genera which are included both in the
Jepson Manual of the Higher
Plants of California and in the Plants
of Southern Africa Checklist maintained by the South Africa National
Biodiversity Institute. This may not be a complete list, because it was compiled rather hurriedly. The large number of shared genera
is at least in part of course due to the introduction of many South African
species into California, and probably also due to the common introduction of species from the Mediterranean into both South Africa and California, but obviously it says much else about the similar
environments in the two places. I have gone through the Jepson Manual in an attempt to record those genera on this list that are composed exclusively of native species, those that are composed exclusively of non-native species, and those that are composed of both. The fact that a genera in California has a non-native species included in it is not in itself terribly significant because in many cases those non-native species are essentially escapes from cultivation and have not become established elsewhere to any great extent. However it is also true that many of the invasive species like Erodium and Hirschfeldia have taken hold even in wilderness areas. The two most common areas from which California's non-native species have come are the Mediterranean and the Mexico/Central America region, but many species from South Africa have been heavily utilized in the horticultural trade by nurseries and homeowners to such an extent that the official flower of the city of Los Angeles is not a California native as might be expected, but the bird-of-paradise, Strelitzia reginae. Ø indicates that this genera has no species native to California + indicates that this genera has at least 1 non-native species in California # indicates that this genera has no non-native species in California ± indicates that this genera has species in California that are native to other parts of the U.S. |
| + Abutilon + Acacia + Acaena # Acalypha # Achillea + Acorus # Adenostoma # Adiantum + Adonis # Agave + Ageratina # Agrimonia + Agropyron + Agrostemma + Agrostis Ø Aira Ø Albizia Ø Alhagi + Alisma + Allium Ø Aloe Ø Alternanthera Ø Alyssum ± Amaranthus ± Ambrosia # Ammania + Ammi + Ammophila # Amsinckia + Anagallis # Anaphalis # Anemone + Anthemis + Anthoxanthum Ø Anthriscus # Antirrhinum Ø Apium # Apocynum Ø Aptenia Ø Arabidopsis # Arabis Ø Aponogeton Ø Araujia Ø Arctotheca Ø Arctotis + Arenaria # Argemone ± Aristida # Aristolochia # Arnica Ø Arrhenatherum + Artemisia Ø Arundo # Asclepias Ø Asparagus Ø Asphodelus # Asplenium + Astragalus # Athyrium + Atriplex + Avena # Azolla # Baccharis + Bacopa + Barbarea Ø Bassia # Bergia # Berula Ø Beta + Bidens Ø Bituminaria Ø Boehmeria + Boerhavia Ø Borago + Bothriochloa Ø Brachypodium + Brassica Ø Briza + Bromus Ø Bryonia + Buddleja # Bulbostylis Ø Caesalpinia # Calamagrostis # Calandrinia Ø Calendula # Calliandra + Callitriche + Calystegia # Campanula Ø Cannabis Ø Capsella + Cardamine Ø Carduus + Carex Ø Carpobrotus + Celtis Ø Cenchrus Ø Centaurea Ø Centranthus # Cephalanthus + Cerastium Ø Cestrum + Chamaesyce # Cheilanthes + Chenopodium Ø Chloris Ø Cichorium + Cirsium |
Ø Citrullus |
+ Lactuca Ø Lagurus Ø Lamarckia Ø Lamium Ø Lavatera Ø Leersia # Lemna + Lepidium # Leptochloa Ø Leptospermum # Lilium + Limonium ± Limosella Ø Linaria # Lindernia + Linum # Lipocarpha # Lobelia Ø Lobularia + Lonicera Ø Lotus + Ludwigia # Lupinus # Luzula # Lycium Ø Lycopersicon # Lycopodiella # Lycopodium + Lysimachia + Lythrum ± Maclura Ø Malephora + Malva Ø Marrubium # Marsilea + Matricaria Ø Medicago Ø Melia # Melica Ø Melilotus # Menodora + Mentha Ø Mercurialis Ø Mesembryanthemum # Mimulus + Mirabilis Ø Modiola Ø Moenchia Ø Mollugo Ø Morus Ø Myoporum + Myosotis # Myosurus # Myrica + Najas # Nasturtium + Nicotiana # Notholaena Ø Nothoscordum # Oenanthe ± Oenothera Ø Olea # Oligomeris # Ophioglossum + Opuntia Ø Ornithopus + Orobanche Ø Oryza + Oxalis + Panicum + Papaver Ø Parapholis + Parietaria + Parkinsonia + Paronychia + Paspalum Ø Pastinaca Ø Pelargonium # Pellaea Ø Pennisetum Ø Petrorhagia # Phacelia + Phalaris # Phaseolus Ø Phoenix # Phragmites # Phyla + Physalis Ø Phytolacca # Pinus Ø Pistachia Ø Pittosporum + Plantago # Platanthera # Pluchea + Poa # Polanisia # Polemonium + Polycarpon # Polygala + Polygonum # Polypodium Ø Polypogon # Polystichum + Populus + Portulaca + Potamogeton ± Prosopis + Prunella |
+ Prunus # Pteridium Ø Pteris + Puccinellia Ø Pulicaria Ø Pyracantha + Quercus + Ranunculus Ø Raphanus Ø Rapistrum Ø Reseda # Rhamnus # Rhynchospora # Rhus Ø Ricinus ± Robinia + Rorippa + Rosa + Rotala + Rubus + Rumex Ø Ruta + Sagina # Salicornia + Salix Ø Salsola + Salvia # Samolus # Sanguisorba # Sanicula Ø Saponaria Ø Scabiosa Ø Schinus Ø Schismus # Schoenus # Scirpus Ø Scleranthus Ø Sclerochloa # Scutellaria Ø Secale + Sedum # Selaginella + Senecio + Senna + Sesbania # Sesuvium + Setaria Ø Sherardia + Silene Ø Silybum Ø Sisymbrium # Sium + Solanum Ø Soliva Ø Sonchus Ø Sorghum + Spartina Ø Spartium Ø Spergula + Spergularia # Sphaeralcea # Spirodela + Sporobolus # Stachys + Stellaria Ø Stenotaphrum # Suaeda # Swertia + Tanacetum + Taraxacum # Taxus Ø Tetragonia # Thalictrum # Thamnosma # Thelypteris # Thuja Ø Torilis Ø Tradescantia # Tragia Ø Tragopogon # Trianthema Ø Tribulus + Trifolium # Triglochin # Trisetum # Typha Ø Ulex Ø Ulmus + Urtica Ø Vaccaria ± Vaccinum # Valeriana Ø Verbascum + Verbena + Verbesina + Veronica + Vicia Ø Vinca + Viola Ø Viscum + Vitis + Wolffia # Wolffiella # Woodsia # Zannichellia Ø Zantedeschia + Ziziphus + Zostera Ø Zygophyllum |
Flora of South Africa Home Page