Information about the cultivated plant species pages
The information for a particular species consists of the following. At this stage, some items are missing or incomplete.
- Scientific name plus authority
The authority is abbreviated in accordance with the standard published in Brummitt & Powell (1992).
- Synonyms
Included under this term are not only true synonyms but misapplied names and spelling variants.
- Common names, i.e. popular English (and/or vernacular) names.
In the English names, we have followed a general pattern of capitalising the first word but not the second, e.g. Velvet bushwillow. In a few, rare, cases, we have done something different if the result so produced is ridiculous for some reason.
Vernacular names are shown in English only.
- Frequency
A subjective impression, using the following simple scale: common, frequent, occasional, local, rare.
- Status
Native or Introduced (a simple classification)
- Description
In drawing up the descriptions of families and genera, these have often been widened to take account of species outside the flora area. However, where all the species in the flora area have a specific character, this has often been noted in the descriptions by the phrase "(in our species)" or simply "(in ours)", thus reducing the space taken up by irrelevant information.
In the descriptions, reference to an unqualified measurement is to the length of an object. A reference to (for example) 4-5 × 1-2 cm, means the length is 4-5 cm and the width is 1-2 cm. Measurements enclosed in brackets (for example: leaves 7-10(-15) cm) are exceptional cases outside the normal range; however, even these measurements may not be the absolute extremes.
The length of the species descriptions is variable and is generally longer in the larger families and genera. The species descriptions usually exclude characters already mentioned under the genus; both must be read. Important features have been placed in italics for emphasis.
- Notes
This is a slot for miscellaneous information about the species which is not dealt with elsewhere.
- Derivation of specific name
An explanation, where known, of the scientific species name is given.
- Habitat
- Altitude range
This is given as a range in metres. Note that at present, many of the altitude ranges are incomplete or provisional and further information may well extend these considerably.
- Flowering time
- Worldwide distribution
For each family, genus and species, the total worldwide number of genera and/or species is given, together with a brief summary of the worldwide distribution. This information has been extracted from various sources, often either from FZ or from Mabberley (1997).
- Malawi distribution
In Flora Zambesiaca, Malawi was divided into 3 divisions. These are as follows:
- N
- C
- S
Information as to which division each species is to be found has been extracted from Flora Zambesiaca, published checklists and from the (Zimbabwe) National Herbarium (SRGH).
- Growth form: the following codes are used and have the following meanings:
Growth form Spot id and link to page Annual 16 Aquatic 6 Biennial 17 Climber 1 Epiphyte 13 Liane 18 Lithophyte 14 Perennial 19 Shrub over 2 m 20 Shrub under 2 m 21 Tree 2 Terrestrial (used in Orchidaceae and ferns only) 22 - Insects
Information about species of insects which are associated with particular plant species was sometimes available and we have created pages giving basic information, with images, about each insect species, with links to and from the species of plant.
- Literature This comprises a list of literature relevant to this particular species. Literature about the family and/or genus is not repeated here and must be found by viewing the family and genus pages.
- Endemic species code
- Red Data status code
- Content last updated
