Podostemaceae
 
  Introduction  
  African Podos  
  American Podos  
  Asian Podos  
  Body plan  
     
  Introduction  
  PDF-key to all African species  
  Monographs of
all genera
 
     
  Drawings of all
African Species
 
  Photographs of
African Podos
 
  Literature list  
     
  Colette Cusset  
     
  How to cite us  
     
     

Podostemaceae in Africa:

Africa (including Madagascar) has 16 genera and c. 86 species, being the second center of biodiversity, apart from tropical America. Eight out of the 16 genera occur with just one species in Africa and Madagascar; five of them are monotypic genera restricted to Africa (continent), two of them are monotypic genera endemic to Madagascar. Most genera consist of 6 or less species. Genus Ledermanniella (as defined by Cusset 1974, 1983, 1984) is an exceptionally large genus, containing c. 46 spp., i.e. more than half of all podostemaceous taxa from Africa. Most podostemaceous genera and species in Africa occur in the mountains of Cameroon and Gabon Cameroon with 9 genera and c. 34 species is one of the Eldorados for Podostemaceae research in Africa (Baker and Wright 1909; Cusset 1987; Cook 1996)!

 

 
       
    Copyright Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich