The name of a plant is the key to all the information that is available for that plant. With ongoing taxonomic research resulting in new species descriptions and refining of classification systems, it is essential to keep abreast of systematic changes that influence the names of plants. Having a well-maintained, correct and up-to-date plant species inventory (checklist) is essential to all foundational and applied biodiversity research.
SANBI is mandated in the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (2004) to coordinate and promote the taxonomy of South Africa’s biodiversity, as well as to collect, generate, process, coordinate and disseminate information about biodiversity. SANBI is thus obligated to provide and manage a checklist of South African plants and to make this available to all end-users.
The South African National Plant Checklist (Checklist) includes accepted names and synonyms of the 21 539 species of mosses, liverworts, hornworts, lycophytes, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants occurring in South Africa. Of these, 20 204 species are indigenous (12 220 being endemic) and 1 329 occur as naturalised aliens in the country (see the document with statistics accompanying the 2025 release of the Checklist here).
Accurate species checklists underpin all biodiversity research in the country. The Checklist forms the backbone for projects relating to the country’s flora, e.g. the e-Flora of South Africa and the SANBI Biodiversity Advisor website—where the Checklist is disseminated along with information about each plant species; Status Reports for Biological Invasions—where the Checklist serves as a list of potential invasive taxa yet to be investigated for inclusion in such reports; the Red List of South African Plants; and the National Biodiversity Assessment.
Updating and maintenance
To ensure that the Checklist provides the most up-to-date information, it must be regularly maintained. This is done according to guidelines set out in the South African National Plant Checklist Policy. Documented and consistently-implemented policy and procedures for the maintenance of national checklists are critical to ensure that all contributors and users understand the rationale for the inclusion of data and for changes and additions made, and also to ensure that there is some degree of standardisation across taxa in terms of the approach to updating. The procedures ensure transparency about how changes are made and who is responsible. This policy further ensures consistency and credibility in decision-making relating to the Checklist. The latest version of the South African National Plant Checklist Policy is available here.
The South African National Plant Checklist Committee
A Plant Checklist Committee was established in 2014 to assist the Plant Checklist Coordinators and to play a leadership role in South African plant taxonomy. It aims to ensure that the Checklist is maintained at an internationally acceptable standard and that problems regarding the following of certain taxonomic treatments can be dealt with in a transparent manner.
Current members of the committee are:
Chair: Dr R.R. Klopper (SANBI; SA National Plant Checklist Coordinator)
Core SANBI members: Mr P.J.D. Winter (Deputy SA Plant Checklist Coordinator); Dr J.E. Victor (DD: Botanical Research); Dr M.M. le Roux (e-Flora Coordinator); Dr N. Lombard (Assistant Checklist Coordinator);
Nominated SANBI taxonomists: Mr S.P. Bester; Dr J.C. Manning
Nominated Non-SANBI taxonomists: Dr A. Levanets (North-West University), Mr S.L. Magoswana (University of Johannesburg); Prof. A.M. Muasya (University of Cape Town), Dr K. Oberlander (University of Pretoria), Dr M. Struwig (North-West University)
End user consultant (non-voting): Ms H. Mtshali (Threatened Species Programme, SANBI)
Past members of the committee include:
Prof. K. Balkwill (University of the Witwatersrand); Prof. D.U. Bellstedt (University of Stellenbosch); Prof. J.S. Boatwright (University of the Western Cape); Mr J.E. Burrows (Buffelskloof Nature Reserve Herbarium); Dr B. Bytebier (University of KwaZulu-Natal); Prof. G.V. Cron (University of the Witwatersrand); Dr C. Klak (University of Cape Town); Dr A.R. Magee (SANBI); Dr L. von Staden (SANBI); Dr A. Welcome (University of Johannesburg)
Higher-level classification
A single higher-level classification system is used for each group of plants in the Checklist and adhered to in its entirety. A list of families and genera arranged according to the chosen classification systems is available in the SA National Plant Classification System, which is distributed together with other Checklist related documents. The following classification systems are used for the different groups of plants:
Angiosperms: Angiosperm Phylogeny Group [APG] II system, recognising the ‘bracketed families’. New families described after publication of APG II, as well as family divisions recognised in APG III and IV, are incorporated. However, where families were combined post-APG II, these are not accepted.
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. 2003. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 141(4): 399–436. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1095-8339.2003.t01-1-00158.x
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. 2009. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161(2): 105–121. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. 2016. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 181(1): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.12385
Gymnosperms: Yang, Y., Ferguson, D.K., Liu, B., Mao, K-S., Gao, L-M., Zhang, S-Z., Wan, T., Rushforth, K. & Zhang, Z-X. 2022. Recent advances on phylogenomics of gymnosperms and a new classification. Plant Diversity 44(4): 340–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2022.05.003
Ferns and lycophytes: Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group [PPG] 1. 2016. A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(6): 563–603. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.12229
Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts: The Bryophyte Nomenclator (https://www.bryonames.org/)
Annual release of the Checklist
An updated version of the Checklist is released in spreadsheet format in March each year. The latest annual release is available here, together with other Checklist-related documents (see below). Archived versions of previous annual releases dating to 2000 are also available on an archived page at the same link. Since 2025, the annual release of the Checklist is also made available through Zenodo and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Checklist-related documents
Several other documents are made available with each annual release of the Checklist:
Report by the SA Plant Checklist Committee regarding the official yearly release (accompanying the release of the Checklist each year).
Reports summarising additions and changes made in the Checklist during certain time periods, as well as references to relevant literature (new reports are uploaded with the release of the Checklist each year).
A spreadsheet document outlining and explaining the South African National Plant Family Classification System that is followed in the Checklist (updates are uploaded with the release of the Checklist each year).
The SA National Plant Checklist Policy, which explains the methodology and procedures used to update the Checklist.
A document containing statistics for the plants occurring in South Africa as well as the FSA-region (updates are uploaded with the release of the Checklist each year).
For further information please email Dr Ronell Klopper (SA National Plant Checklist Coordinator)