This listing contains taxa of plants in the division Lycopodiophyta, recorded from South Africa.The lycophytes, when broadly circumscribed, are a vascular plant (tracheophyte) subgroup of the kingdom Plantae. They are sometimes placed in a division Lycopodiophyta or Lycophyta or in a subdivision Lycopodiophytina. They are one of the oldest lineages of extant (living) vascular plants; the group contains extinct plants that have been dated from the Silurian (ca. 425 million years ago). Lycophytes were some of the dominating plant species of the Carboniferous period, and included tree-like species, although extant lycophytes are relatively small plants.
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 {cryptograms(408)).
Names are given as listed in the source. Where the accepted name at source date differs, it is appended.
Listing Huperzia dacrydioides (Baker) Pic.Serm. indigenous Huperzia gnidioides (L.f.) Trevis. indigenous Huperzia ophioglossoides (Lam.) Rothm. indigenous Huperzia saururus (Lam.) Trevis. indigenous Huperzia verticillata (L.f.) Trevis. indigenous Isoetes aemulans J.P.Roux, indigenous Isoetes aequinoctialis Welw. ex A.Braun, indigenous Isoetes capensis A.V.Duthie, endemic Isoetes capensis A.V.Duthie var. stephanseniae (A.V.Duthie) Schelpe & N.C.Anthony, synonym for Isoetes stephansenii A.V.Duthie Isoetes eludens J.P.Roux, Hopper & Rhian J.Sm. indigenous Isoetes labri-draconis N.R.Crouch, indigenous Isoetes schweinfurthii A.Braun ex Baker, indigenous Isoetes stellenbossiensis A.V.Duthie, endemic Isoetes stephansenii A.V.Duthie, endemic Isoetes toximontana Musselman & J.P.Roux, indigenous Isoetes transvaalensis Jermy & Schelpe, indigenous Isoetes welwitschii A.Braun, indigenous Isoetes wormaldii Sim, endemic Lycopodiella caroliniana (L.) Pic.Serm. indigenous Lycopodiella cernua (L.) Pic.Serm. indigenous Lycopodiella sarcocaulon (A.Braun & Welw. ex Kuhn) Pic.Serm. indigenous Lycopodium carolinianum L. synonym for Lycopodiella caroliniana (L.) Pic.Serm. Lycopodium carolinianum L. var. grandifolium Spring, synonym for Lycopodiella sarcocaulon (A.Braun & Welw. ex Kuhn) Pic.Serm. Lycopodium cernuum L. synonym for Lycopodiella cernua (L.) Pic.Serm. Lycopodium clavatum L. indigenous Lycopodium complanatum L. subsp. zanclophyllum (J.H.Wilce) Schelpe, synonym for Lycopodium zanclophyllum J.H.Wilce Lycopodium dacrydioides Baker, synonym for Huperzia dacrydioides (Baker) Pic.Serm. Lycopodium gnidioides L.f. synonym for Huperzia gnidioides (L.f.) Trevis. Lycopodium ophioglossoides Lam. synonym for Huperzia ophioglossoides (Lam.) Rothm. Lycopodium sarcocaulon A.Braun & Welw. ex Kuhn, synonym for Lycopodiella sarcocaulon (A.Braun & Welw. ex Kuhn) Pic.Serm. Lycopodium saururus Lam. synonym for Huperzia saururus (Lam.) Trevis. Lycopodium verticillatum L.f. synonym for Huperzia verticillata (L.f.) Trevis. Lycopodium zanclophyllum J.H.Wilce, indigenous Selaginella caffrorum (Milde) Hieron. indigenous Selaginella caffrorum (Milde) Hieron. var. caffrorum, indigenous Selaginella culverwellii N.R.Crouch, indigenous Selaginella dregei (C.Presl) Hieron. indigenous Selaginella grisea Alston, indigenous Selaginella imbricata (Forssk.) Spring ex Decne. indigenous Selaginella kraussiana (Kunze) A.Braun, indigenous Selaginella mittenii Baker, indigenous Selaginella nivea Alston, indigenous Selaginella nivea Alston ex Alston subsp. nivea, indigenous Selaginella nubigena J.P.Roux, indigenous Selaginella pygmaea (Kaulf.) Alston, indigenous
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