Information about the species data 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.
The codes used are as follows:
A Afrikaans
E English
H Hlengwe, the language of the Shangaan people
N Ndebele
Nd Ndau
S Shona
T Tonga
- 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.
- 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).
- Zimbabwe distribution
In Flora Zambesiaca, Zimbabwe was divided into 5 divisions based on groupings of administrative districts. These are labelled in accordance with the points of a compass with C, the Central division, surrounded by 4 others. N, W, E and S). The 5 divisions are shown on the following map.
Information as to which division each species is to be found is often readily available from Flora Zambesiaca, published checklists and from the National Herbarium.
- Growth form: the following codes are used and have the following meanings:
Symbol Meaning A Annual B Biennial C Climber E Epiphyte L Liane Lp Lithophyte P Herbaceous perennial S Shrub over 2 m s Shrub under 2 m T Tree Te Terrestrial (used in Orchidaceae and ferns only) - Insects
Information about species of insects whose larvae eat the particular plant species was sometimes available. At present (November 2006), the insects covered are all butterflies. Furthermore, we have created pages giving basic information, with images, about each butterfly species.
- 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
- Comments
This is a slot for miscellaneous information about the species which is not dealt with elsewhere.
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