List of Cucurbitales of South Africa

The Cucurbitales are an order of flowering plants, included in the rosid group of dicotyledons with a cosmopolitan distribution, particularly diverse in the tropics. The order includes shrubs and trees, together with many herbs and climbers. One major characteristic of the Cucurbitales is the presence of unisexual flowers, mostly pentacyclic, with thick pointed petals (whenever present). The pollination is usually performed by insects, but wind pollination is also present (in Coriariaceae and Datiscaceae).

The order consists of roughly 2600 species in eight families. The largest families are Begoniaceae (begonia family) with around 1500 species and Cucurbitaceae (gourd family) with around 900 species. These two families include the only economically important plants. Specifically, the Cucurbitaceae (gourd family) include some food species, such as squash, pumpkin (both from Cucurbita), watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris), and cucumber and melons (Cucumis). The Begoniaceae are known for their horticultural species, of which there are over 130 with many more varieties.

The anthophytes are a grouping of plant taxa bearing flower-like reproductive structures. They were formerly thought to be a clade comprising plants bearing flower-like structures. The group contained the angiosperms - the extant flowering plants, such as roses and grasses - as well as the Gnetales and the extinct Bennettitales.

23,420 species of vascular plant have been recorded in South Africa, making it the sixth most species-rich country in the world and the most species-rich country on the African continent. Of these, 153 species are considered to be threatened. Nine biomes have been described in South Africa: Fynbos, Succulent Karoo, desert, Nama Karoo, grassland, savanna, Albany thickets, the Indian Ocean coastal belt, and forests.

The 2018 South African National Biodiversity Institute's National Biodiversity Assessment plant checklist lists 35,130 taxa in the phyla Anthocerotophyta (hornworts (6)), Anthophyta (flowering plants (33534)), Bryophyta (mosses (685)), Cycadophyta (cycads (42)), Lycopodiophyta (Lycophytes(45)), Marchantiophyta (liverworts (376)), Pinophyta (conifers (33)), and Pteridophyta (cryptogams (408)).

Two families are represented in the literature. Listed taxa include species, subspecies, varieties, and forms as recorded, some of which have subsequently been allocated to other taxa as synonyms, in which cases the accepted taxon is appended to the listing. Multiple entries under alternative names reflect taxonomic revision over time.

Begoniaceae Family: Begoniaceae,

Begonia Genus Begonia: Begonia cucullata Willd. not indigenous, naturalised Begonia dregei Otto & A.Dietr. endemic Begonia geranioides Hook.f. endemic Begonia hirtella Link, not indigenous, naturalised Begonia homonyma Steud. endemic Begonia sonderiana Irmsch. indigenous Begonia sonderiana Irmsch. var. transgrediens Irmsch. accepted as Begonia sonderiana Irmsch. present Begonia sutherlandii Hook.f. indigenous Begonia sutherlandii Hook.f. subsp. sutherlandii, indigenous

Cucurbitaceae Family: Cucurbitaceae,

Acanthosicyos Genus Acanthosicyos:

Acanthosicyos horridus Welw. ex Hook.f. indigenous Acanthosicyos naudinianus (Sond.) C.Jeffrey, indigenous

Blastania Genus Blastania: Blastania cerasiformis (Stocks) A.Meeuse indigenous

Citrullus Genus Citrullus:

Citrullus ecirrhosus Cogn. indigenous Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai, indigenous

Coccinia Genus Coccinia:

Coccinia adoensis (A.Rich.) Cogn. indigenous Coccinia hirtella Cogn. indigenous Coccinia mackenii Naudin ex C.Huber, indigenous Coccinia palmata (Sond.) Cogn. accepted as Coccinia mackenii Naudin ex C.Huber, present Coccinia quinqueloba (Thunb.) Cogn. endemic Coccinia rehmannii Cogn. indigenous Coccinia sessilifolia (Sond.) Cogn. indigenous Coccinia variifolia A.Meeuse, endemic

Corallocarpus Genus Corallocarpus: Corallocarpus bainesii (Hook.f.) A.Meeuse, indigenous Corallocarpus dissectus Cogn. indigenous Corallocarpus schinzii Cogn. indigenous Corallocarpus triangularis Cogn. indigenous

Cucumella Genus Cucumella: Cucumella aspera (Cogn.) C.Jeffrey, accepted as Cucumis asper Cogn. Cucumella bryoniifolia (Merxm.) C.Jeffrey, accepted as Cucumis bryoniifolius (Merxm.) Ghebret. & Thulin, indigenous Cucumella cinerea (Cogn.) C.Jeffrey, accepted as Cucumis cinereus (Cogn.) Ghebret. & Thulin, indigenous Cucumella clavipetiolata J.H.Kirkbr. accepted as Cucumis clavipetiolatus (J.H.Kirkbr.) Ghebret. & Thulin

Cucumis Genus Cucumis:

Cucumis africanus L.f. indigenous Cucumis anguria L. indigenous Cucumis anguria L. var. longaculeatus J.H.Kirkbr. indigenous Cucumis ficifolius A.Rich., indigenous Cucumis heptadactylus Naudin, endemic Cucumis hirsutus Sond. indigenous Cucumis humifructus Stent, indigenous Cucumis kalahariensis A.Meeuse, indigenous Cucumis maderaspatanus L. indigenous Cucumis meeusei C.Jeffrey, indigenous Cucumis melo L. indigenous Cucumis melo L. subsp. agrestis (Naudin) Pangalo, indigenous Cucumis melo L. subsp. melo, indigenous Cucumis metuliferus E.Mey. ex Naudin, indigenous Cucumis myriocarpus Naudin, indigenous Cucumis myriocarpus Naudin subsp. leptodermis (Schweick.) C.Jeffrey & P.Halliday, indigenous Cucumis myriocarpus Naudin subsp. myriocarpus, indigenous Cucumis oreosyce H.Schaef. indigenous Cucumis prophetarum L., indigenous Cucumis quintanilhae R.Fern. & A.Fern. indigenous Cucumis rigidus E.Mey. ex Sond. indigenous Cucumis sagittatus Peyr. indigenous Cucumis zeyheri Sond. indigenous

Diplocyclos Genus Diplocyclos: Diplocyclos palmatus (L.) C.Jeffrey, not indigenous, naturalised, invasive

Gerrardanthus Genus Gerrardanthus: Gerrardanthus macrorhizus Harv. ex Hook.f. indigenous Gerrardanthus tomentosus Hook.f. endemic

Kedrostis Genus Kedrostis:

Kedrostis africana (L.) Cogn. indigenous Kedrostis capensis (Sond.) A.Meeuse, indigenous Kedrostis crassirostrata Bremek. indigenous Kedrostis foetidissima (Jacq.) Cogn. indigenous Kedrostis hirtella (Naudin) Cogn. accepted as Kedrostis leloja (Forssk.) C.Jeffrey, indigenous Kedrostis leloja (Forssk.) C.Jeffrey, indigenous Kedrostis limpompensis C.Jeffrey, accepted as Kedrostis limpopoensis C.Jeffrey, present Kedrostis limpopoensis C.Jeffrey, indigenous Kedrostis nana (Lam.) Cogn. indigenous Kedrostis nana (Lam.) Cogn. var. nana, endemic Kedrostis nana (Lam.) Cogn. var. schlechteri (Cogn.) A.Meeuse, endemic Kedrostis nana (Lam.) Cogn. var. zeyheri (Schrad.) A.Meeuse, endemic Kedrostis psammophylla Bruyns, endemic

Lagenaria Genus Lagenaria: Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl. indigenous Lagenaria sphaerica (Sond.) Naudin, indigenous

Momordica Genus Momordica:

Momordica balsamina L. indigenous Momordica boivinii Baill. indigenous Momordica cardiospermoides Klotzsch, indigenous Momordica charantia L. not indigenous, naturalised Momordica foetida Schumach. indigenous Momordica repens Bremek. indigenous

Mukia Genus Mukia: Mukia maderaspatana (L.) M.Roem. accepted as Cucumis maderaspatanus L. indigenous

Oreosyce Genus Oreosyce: Oreosyce africana Hook.f., indigenous

Peponium Genus Peponium: Peponium caledonicum (Sond.) Engl. indigenous Peponium mackenii (Naudin) Engl. endemic

Trochomeria Genus Trochomeria: Trochomeria debilis (Sond.) Hook.f. indigenous Trochomeria hookeri Harv. indigenous Trochomeria macrocarpa (Sond.) Hook.f. indigenous Trochomeria macrocarpa (Sond.) Hook.f. subsp. macrocarpa, indigenous Trochomeria sagittata (Harv. ex Sond.) Cogn. indigenous

Zehneria Genus Zehneria:

Zehneria marlothii (Cogn.) R.Fern. & A.Fern. (synonym Pilogyne marlothii (Cogn.) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes), indigenous Zehneria parvifolia (Cogn.) J.H.Ross (synonym Pilogyne parvifolia (Cogn.) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes), indigenous Zehneria scabra (L.f.) Sond. subsp. scabra (synonym as Pilogyne scabra (L.f.) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes), indigenous

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