List of Acanthaceae of South Africa

Acanthaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants in the order Lamiales. The acanthus family includes almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate regions. The four main centres of distribution are Indonesia and Malaysia, Africa, Brazil, and Central America. Representatives of the family can be found in nearly every habitat, including dense or open forests, scrublands, wet fields and valleys, sea coast and marine areas, swamps, and mangrove forests.
23,420 species of vascular plant have been recorded in South Africa, making it the sixth most species-rich country in the world and the most species-rich country on the African continent. Of these, 153 species are considered to be threatened. Nine biomes have been described in South Africa: Fynbos, Succulent Karoo, desert, Nama Karoo, grassland, savanna, Albany thickets, the Indian Ocean coastal belt, and forests.
The 2018 South African National Biodiversity Institute's National Biodiversity Assessment plant checklist lists 35,130 taxa in the phyla Anthocerotophyta (hornworts (6)), Anthophyta (flowering plants (33534)), Bryophyta (mosses (685)), Cycadophyta (cycads (42)), Lycopodiophyta (Lycophytes(45)), Marchantiophyta (liverworts (376)), Pinophyta (conifers (33)), and Pteridophyta (cryptogams (408)).
66 genera are represented in the literature. Listed taxa include species, subspecies, varieties, and forms as recorded, some of which have subsequently been allocated to other taxa as synonyms, in which cases the accepted taxon is appended to the listing. Multiple entries under alternative names reflect taxonomic revision over time.
Acanthodium.
Genus "Acanthodium":
Acanthopsis.
Genus "Acanthopsis":
Acanthus.
Genus "Acanthus":
Adhatoda.
Genus "Adhatoda":
Angkalanthus.
Genus "Angkalanthus":
Anisotes.
Genus "Anisotes":
Asteracantha.
Genus "Asteracantha":
Asystasia.
Genus "Asystasia":
Aulojusticia.
Genus "Aulojusticia":
Avicennia.
Genus "Avicennia":
Barleria.
Genus "Barleria":
Blepharacanthus.
Genus "Blepharacanthus":
Blepharis.
Genus "Blepharis":
Calophanes.
Genus "Calophanes":
Chaetacanthus.
Genus "Chaetacanthus":
Chorisochora.
Genus "Chorisochora":
Crabbea.
Genus "Crabbea":
Crossandra.
Genus "Crossandra":
Dianthera.
Genus "Dianthera":
Diapedium.
Genus "Diapedium":
Dicliptera.
Genus "Dicliptera":
Dilivaria.
Genus "Dilivaria":
Dinteracanthus.
Genus "Dinteracanthus":
Dipteracanthus.
Genus "Dipteracanthus":
Duosperma.
Genus "Duosperma":
Duvernoia.
Genus "Duvernoia":
Dyschoriste.
Genus "Dyschoriste":
Ecbolium.
Genus "Ecbolium":
Ecteinanthus.
Genus "Ecteinanthus":
Elytraria.
Genus "Elytraria":
Eranthemum.
Genus "Eranthemum":
Gendarussa.
Genus "Gendarussa":
Glossochilus.
Genus "Glossochilus":
Hemigraphis.
Genus "Hemigraphis":
Hygrophila.
Genus "Hygrophila":
Hypoestes.
Genus "Hypoestes":
Isoglossa.
Genus "Isoglossa":
Justicia.
Genus "Justicia":
Lepidagathis.
Genus "Lepidagathis":
Leptostachya.
Genus "Leptostachya":
Mackaya.
Genus "Mackaya":
Macrorungia.
Genus "Macrorungia":
Megalochlamys.
Genus "Megalochlamys":
Metarungia.
Genus "Metarungia":
Monechma.
Genus "Monechma":
Neuracanthus.
Genus "Neuracanthus":
Nomaphila.
Genus "Nomaphila":
Odontonema.
Genus "Odontonema":
Peristrophe.
Genus "Peristrophe":
Petalidium.
Genus "Petalidium":
Phaulopsis.
Genus "Phaulopsis":
Pseuderanthemum.
Genus "Pseuderanthemum":
Pseudobarleria.
Genus "Pseudobarleria":
Rhaphidospora.
Genus "Rhaphidospora":
Rhinacanthus.
Genus "Rhinacanthus":
Rhytiglossa.
Genus "Rhytiglossa":
Ruellia.
Genus "Ruellia":
Ruelliopsis.
Genus "Ruelliopsis":
Rungia.
Genus "Rungia":
Ruspolia.
Genus "Ruspolia":
Ruttya.
Genus "Ruttya":
Salpinctium.
Genus "Salpinctium":
Sclerochiton.
Genus "Sclerochiton":
Siphonoglossa.
Genus "Siphonoglossa":
Synnema.
Genus "Synnema":
Thunbergia.
Genus "Thunbergia":