Taking stock of South Africa's flora

Abstract

South Africa is rich in plant biodiversity and has a longstanding history of record-keeping of its plant resources. In recent years, updated versions of the South African National Plant Checklist (Checklist) have been published annually in electronic form, reflecting changes from published taxonomic revisions and new species descriptions. The most recent Checklist from 2025 recognises 23 514 taxa and 21 539 species (20 204 indigenous and 1 329 naturalised species). Of the indigenous species, 60.5 % are endemic to the country. The e-Flora of South Africa project (e-Flora) was initiated in 2013 and the first phase was completed in 2020. Both the Checklist and e-Flora data were published online in 2024 on the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s Biodiversity Advisor website. The e-Flora adds a layer of descriptive information to the list of names provided in the Checklist, thereby enhancing the utility of these outputs for end-users from a variety of biodiversity-related fields. The e-Flora is a dynamic data source with updates guided by changes incorporated in the Checklist. An overview of the statistics from both the Checklist and the e-Flora, as of March 2025, are provided.

HIGHLIGHTS • The South African National Plant Checklist recognises 21,539 species. • Species endemism is recorded at 60.5 %. • KwaZulu-Natal hosts the most number of families and genera while the Western Cape is most speciose. • The e-Flora of South Africa holds descriptions for 22,056 taxa. • Checklist and e-Flora data are accessible on the SANBI Biodiversity Advisor.