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Family: Gentianaceae (gentians) Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
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Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
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Order: Gentianales
About 87 genera and 1655 species, with a nearly worldwide
distribution. Ten genera and 83 species are native to southern Africa, there
are no naturalised species, and a further four genera and 11 species are
cultivated in the region.
Genera native to southern Africa
List from
Plants
of Southern Africa - an Online Checklist (SANBI).
Anthocleista About 50 species, native mainly
to tropical Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands. Two species
native to southern Africa: Anthocleista
grandiflora (see
Flora of Zimbabwe) and Anthocleista liebrechtsiana. Anthocleista in the
past has been more commonly placed under the family Loganiaceae. |
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Canscora One
species native to southern Africa - Canscora diffusa (recorded from
Zimbabwe). |
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Chironia About 30 species, native to tropical and subtropical Africa and
Madagascar, with 17 species native to southern Africa. |
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Enicostema Three species,
one from America, one from Madagascar and one from Africa and Asia. The latter
species is Enicostema axillare (see
Flora of Zimbabwe) and is native to southern Africa. |
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Exacum About 65 species,
native to Madagascar, Socotra, Sri Lanka, southern India, SE Asia, New
Guinea, Australia and Africa. Two species,
Exacum oldenlandioides and Exacum zombense (recorded from
Mozambique),
are native to southern Africa. |
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Faroa
Seventeen species throughout tropical Africa, of which three are native to
southern Africa. |
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Neurotheca Three species,
native to tropical Africa, with one species,
Neurotheca congolana native to southern Africa (KwaZulu-Natal and
Mozambique). |
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Orphium One species, Orphium
frutescens, endemic to the Western Cape. |
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Pycnosphaera One species,
Pycnosphaera
buchananii, native to tropical Africa and extends into southern Africa
(Zimbabwe and Botswana). |
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Sebaea About 159 species,
native mainly to Africa and Madagascar but with one species extending to
India and China and two in Australia and New Zealand. There are 50 species
native to southern Africa. |
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Swertia About 100 species,
native mainly to Europe and America, but with four species native to southern Africa. |
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Other genera, cultivated in southern Africa
List from Glen (2002).
Centaurium
Two species cultivated: Centaurium erythraea (Common centaury)
(native to southwestern Europe) and Centaurium scilloides (Perennial
centaury) (native to the Azores and western Europe). |
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Exacum
Two species cultivated: Exacum affine (Arabian violet) (native to
Socotra) and Exacum trinervium (native to Sri Lanka). |
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Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus, Prairie gentian)
Native to south-central USA and Mexico. |
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Gentiana
About 400 species, native to mainly alpine areas of the north temperate
regions, northwest Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Six species and a
hybrid species are cultivated in southern Africa. |
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Publications
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