Monocotyledons, ferns and quillworts of the Namaqualand-Namib Succulent Karoo, Tanqua-southern Great Karoo and Western Mountain Karoo, southern Africa D.A. Snijman 1, J.C. Manning 1, P. Goldblatt 2, L. Fish 3, G.D. Duncan 4, C. Archer 3, J.P. Roux 1, H. Kurzweil5, H.P. Linder 6, A.V. Verboom 7, R.R. Klopper 3 & G.F. Smith 3. 1Compton Herbarium, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Private Bag X7, Claremont 7735, South Africa. 2Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299, United States of America. 3National Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Private Bag X101, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. 4Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Private Bag X7, Claremont 7735, South Africa. 5Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569. 6Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland. 7Department of Botany, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa. Abstract This account contains an annotated checklist of the quillworts, ferns and monocotyledonous plants of the semidesert Succulent Karoo region of the Greater Cape Floristic Region, southern Africa. As treated here, the area includes eight subregions: the southern Namibian Sperrgebiet, the Gariep, Namaqualand Sandveld, Namaqualand Hardeveld, Kamiesberg Mountains, Knersvlakte, Western Mountain Karoo, and Tanqua-southern Great Karoo, covering an area of 98 869 km 2. It excludes the Little Karoo and Robertson Karoo which fall within the Cape Floristic Region in the strict sense. Gathered from historical and recent herbarium collections, mainly in BOL, NBG, PRE and SAM, the inventory contains one family of quillworts, 10 families of ferns and 26 families of monocotyledons with a total of 1015 species and 43 naturalised aliens, of which 37 species are alien grasses, most being annuals. Of the indigenous monocot species, 400 (39.5%) are endemic to the study area, most of which are petaloid monocots. With 72 (7.1%) endemic monocot species, the Western Mountain Karoo, which makes up 19.5% of the entire study area, is the richest area of endemism. The Kamiesberg Mountains, covering only 0.8% of the study area, has 21 endemic monocot species. The largest family is the Iridaceae with 21 genera containing 268 species. Moraea (Iridaceae) is the largest genus with 62 species. Genera endemic to the Succulent Karoo Region included in this study are Devia (Iridaceae) Hexacyrtis (Colchicaceae) and Namophila (Hyacinthaceae), each being represented by only one species. This account should be of use to students, taxonomists, ecologists, and conservation biologists, as well as to interested amateur botanists. Key words –Southern Africa, Succulent Karoo, biodiversity, species, inventory, ferns, monocotyledons, quillworts. Introduction The Greater Cape Floristic Region of southern Africa incorporates two major components: the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) which includes the relatively mesic Cape fold mountains and adjacent intermontane valleys and coastal plains between latitudes 31º and 34º 30' S, and the Succulent Karoo region which covers the arid areas of the winter rainfall region north of the CFR (see Figure 1). An inventory of plants from the Little Karoo and Worcester-Robertson Karoo which are arid enclaves in the CFR is available in Cape plants. A conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa (Goldblatt & Manning 2000). But to date no published inventory of the Succulent Karoo flora occupying the rest of the Greater CFR is available. To remedy this, a study is underway of the plants of the Namaqualand-Namib Succulent Karoo and Tanqua-southern Great Karoo (sensu Jürgens 1991) and the Western Mountain Karoo (sensu Nordenstam 1969, where it is referred to as the Western Upper Karoo). The accompanying account is the first part of a planned Conspectus of the Namib- Namaqualand Succulent Karoo, Tanqua-southern Great Karoo and Western Mountain Karoo flora of southern Africa . This first version deals with the monocotyledons, ferns and quillworts of the region. The second part dealing with the dicotyledons is due to be completed by 2010. The information has been compiled from current literature and South African herbarium collections, mainly in BOL, NBG, PRE and SAM. Figure 1. The eight ecogeographic subregions recognised in the northern and northeastern areas of the Greater Cape Floristic Region, southern Africa. How to use this account Keys –Keys to the families are included at the beginning of the account. Keys to the genera within each family precede each family treatment which deals with more than one genus. Arrangement of taxa –The family circumscriptions and classification system used here are those recommended by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (1998, 2003). Plant families are arranged alphabetically within the major categories Lycophytes, Pteridophytes and Angio- sperms: Monocotyledons. Genera are arranged alphabetically within each family. Species within each genus are generally also listed alphabetically but in many instances they have been grouped in various ways as an aid to identification at the species level. Where possible, the larger genera have been subdivided using more or less readily visible characters, but in two instances ( Drimia and Moraea ) the generic circumscriptions have been grouped informally in their previous taxonomic arrangements as an aid to locating them. The grouping of species in the larger genera is usually indicated in the form of a dichotomous key. Each lead is labelled alphabetically in turn (e.g. A., A.', A.''). Recognized species are listed in bold. Species that we consider conspecific, but that are currently recognized nomenclaturally, are included in parenthesis and in bold (e.g. including B. halli G.Will.). Synonyms are indicated in parenthesis and in italics (e.g. = Androcymbium dregei C.Presl.). Common names that apply to particular species are provided after the species name and synonyms. Species entries –Each species entry contains information on habit and morphology, flowering time, habitat, occurrence in ecogeographical subregion and geographical distribution. In some instances information on flowering time or habitat may be lacking and this is indicated by a ”?‘ in the appropriate place. Habit and morphology –The brief descriptions are intended to provide a working picture of the species, including, where appropriate or available, diagnostic characters useful in distinguishing the species. Most entries include the following information: habit (annual, perennial or geophyte) and a measure of size, usually height, at flowering; leaf arrangement, shape, indumentum and other features appropriate to the group; and flower arrangement, colour, shape if variable in the genus, and various critical features; fruit characters are included if striking or diagnostic. Flowering time –The flowering period is indicated in months; in species that also occur outside the Greater CFR, flowering time applies specifically to populations occurring within the study area. Habitat –Information on the habitat of the species is given when available and includes slope, soil and moisture regime. Many species in the Greater CFR are more or less specific to sandy, clay, limestone or quartzitic substrates. Detailed descriptions of the climate, geology and soils of the Succulent Karoo can be found in Mucina & Rutherford (2006). Ecogeographic subregions and distribution –The eight subregions recognised in the northern and northeastern areas of the Greater Cape Floristic Region are shown in Figure 1. Occurrence of a species in each of these subregions is indicated by the abbreviations SN (Sperrgebiet), G (Gariep), NS (Namaqualand Sandveld), NH (Namaqualand Hardeveld), KB (Kamiesberg Mountains), KV (Knersvlakte), WM (Western Mountain Karoo), TS (Tanqua- southern Great Karoo), and CFR (Cape Floristic Region, i.e. the area at the southwestern tip of Africa situated between latitudes 31º and 34º 30' S). A more complete indication of the geographic range, from north to south and west to east, follows in parenthesis. Endemic taxa –Families, genera and species that are endemic to the Greater CFR are indicated by (gce). Those endemic to the area of the Greater CFR lying outside the CFR are shown by (ske). Introduced taxa –Families, genera and species that are not native to southern Africa are marked with the symbol * before each entry. We include only those which have become naturalised and might be mistaken for part of the native flora. Summary of diversity and endemism of monocotyledons, ferns and quillworts of the Namaqualand-Namib Succulent Karoo, Tanqua- southern Great Karoo and Western Mountain Karoo Table 1. Total numbers of the monocotyledons, ferns and quillworts in the Namaqualand-Namib Succulent Karoo, Tanqua-southern Great Karoo and Western Mountain Karoo. Families Genera Species Quillworts 1 1 3 Ferns 10 12 28 + 1 alien Monocotyledons 26 169 983 + 42 aliens Total 37 182 1014 + 43 aliens Table 2. Families of the monocotyledons with more than 50 species in the Namaqualand- Namib Succulent Karoo, Tanqua-southern Great Karoo and Western Mountain Karoo. Total species Endemic species (% of total for family) Iridaceae 268 148 (55%) Hyacinthaceae 173 81 (47%) Poaceae 117 (+ 37 aliens) 13 (11%) Asphodelaceae 107 42 (39%) Amaryllidaceae 79 46 (58%) Ruscaceae 51 29 (57%) Table 3. Genera of the monocotyledons with 20 or more species in the Namaqualand- Namib Succulent Karoo, Tanqua-southern Great