South African National Plant Checklist (SANPC)

The name records included in this release were extracted from the taxonomic backbone of the Botanical Database of Southern Africa (BODATSA) by the SA National Plant Checklist Coordinator. BODATSA is a BRAHMS v.8 database that houses the plant taxonomic backbone, e-Flora of South Africa content, and specimen level information from the three herbaria of the South African National Biodiversity Institute [SANBI; namely the National Herbarium (PRE), Compton Herbarium (NBG), and the KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium (NH)], as well as data on the living collections of the SANBI National Botanical Gardens.

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.