Cape plants: a conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa
Goldblatt, P. & Manning, J. ( 2000 ) Cape plants: a conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa . National Botanical Institute , Pretoria, South Africa , ( Strelitzia, Vol. 9 ) and Missouri Botanical Garden , St Louis, Missouri, USA . 743 pp , figs, tables, photos, index. Hardback: Price SADC R250.00/US$55.00 . ISBN 0 620 26236 2 . The Cape Region, an area of some 90 000 km2 at the south-western tip of the African continent, is richer in plant species than any other temperate region and many tropical regions of comparable area. There are approximately 8850 native vascular plant species growing in the Cape Region. In California, which is more than three times larger, there are only 4850 native species. An explanation of the enormous species diversity of the Cape Region is still a subject of much speculation (Cowling, 1992; Goldblatt, 1997). This book represents a complete synoptic account of the Cape native vascular flora. It was badly needed. Its valuable predecessor, Plants of the Cape flora (Bond & Goldblatt, 1984), has been out of print for many years. Besides a complete revision and many additions (the number of native species increased by nearly 400), this new conspectus also includes keys to families and genera. An introductory chapter describes the geology, climate, and composition of the flora. The morphology and distribution of each of the 8888 included species are described briefly. Keys to families will be somewhat difficult to use in the field (characters such as ‘ovule arising from base or near base of ovary’ are used frequently). Keys to genera seem to be more friendly. Species endemicity in the Cape flora is very high: 68.8%. Five families are endemic to the region (Penaeaceae, Stilbaceae, Grubbiaceae, Roridulaceae, and Geissolomaceae). Besides families that are usually abundant in temperate floras (Asteraceae and Fabaceae), the most important families are Iridaceae, Aizoaceae, Ericaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Proteaceae, and Restionaceae. The largest genera are Erica, Aspalathus, and Pelargonium with 658, 272, and 148 species, respectively. Only some invasive species are included. To list Pinus pinaster as the only naturalized pine species in the area is rather ridiculous. Obviously, a complete list of naturalized species in the Cape Region will have to be completed and published separately. Nevertheless, this book is a milestone of South African botany. It will be heavily used by taxonomists, evolutionary biologists, biogeographers, ecologists, and conservation biologists for decades to come.