✓ UPDATED IN SEPTEMBER 18, 2026 (SEE THE LIST OF LATEST REVISIONS)
1 INTRODUCTION
Siderasis Angiosperms (SDa), this present project, is a a work developed with the objective of presenting, in a brief way, the diversity of angiosperms in South America, raising several points of analysis and discussion, distributed throughout the following pages.
SDa is largely based on Synopsis of South American Angiosperms (SSAA), a checklist of all South American native genera of angiosperms, organized by order, family, genera, and eventually by subfamilies, tribes, subtribes, and the genera, in hundreds of cases, are enunciated by valid subdivisions. SSAA is based on Plants of the World Online (POWO), the most objective and clear list on the flora of the World and, consequently, of South America, according to the APG group (SEE) for orders and families. The platform allows searching by geographic region and taxonomic group in a dynamic and highly productive.
PHYLOGENY OF LIVING EMBRIOPHYTES
2 INDEX AND ADDITIONAL NOTES
INTRODUCTION TO SIDERASIS BLOGSPOT INTRODUCTION TO THIS BLOG, WITH GENERAL DATA ON THE DIVERSITY OF SOUTH AMERICAN ANGIOSPERMS BY ORDER, FAMILY, AND GENUS.
NOTES ON ANGIOSPERMS OF SOUTH AMERICA MORE THAN 20 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON ANGIOSPERMS IN GENERAL, SOUTH AMERICA, AND BRAZIL.
RANKINGS OF SOUTH AMERICA FLORA VARIOUS RANKINGS OF GENERA, SPECIES, AND COUNTRIES ACROSS SOUTH AMERICA, PRESENTED IN TABLES.
ODD DISTRIBUTIONS IN BRAZIL A LIST OF UNDERREPRESENTED, GEOGRAPHICALLY CONCENTRATED, OR LOCALLY ENDEMIC GENERA IN BRAZIL
MORPHOLOGICAL/ECOLOGICAL NOTES A COMPILATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL, ECOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL, GENETIC, AND MOLECULAR NOTES ON THE ANGIOSPERMS OF SOUTH AMERICA.
INFRAFAMILIAR AND INFRAGENERIC NOTES A SUMMARY OF FAMILIES AND GENERA WITH STABLE SUBDIVISIONS IN SOUTH AMERICA, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON BRAZILIAN DIVERSITY.
BRAZILIAN RESTRICTED STATE GENERA A LIST OF GENERA RESTRICTED IN BRAZIL TO A SINGLE STATE, WHETHER DUE TO ENDEMISM, GEOGRAPHIC POSITION, OR DISJUNCTION.
ENDEMIC GENERA BY COUNTRY A LIST OF ENDEMIC ANGIOSPERM GENERA BY COUNTRY OF SOUTH AMERICA.
Several notes available in Almanaque Z blogspot for South American members of Lycophytes (SEE), Monilophytes (SEE), Gymnosperms (SEE), and Brazilian native members of Brassicaceae (Almanaque Z) and Caryophyllaceae (Almanaque Z). For an informal review of some groups, see Fagales in New World (Almanaque Z), Brassicaceae in New World (Almanaque Z), South American Poaceae (Almanaque Z) and New World Orchidaceae (Almanaque Z).
3 GLOBAL NUMBERS OF SPECIES
Christenhusz and Byng (Phytotaxa, 2016) lists of all families by APG IV with number of species each, with 308,312 are vascular plants, 295,383 in Angiosperms (74,273 monocots and 210,008 eudicots), also Algae (〜44,000), liverworts (〜9,000), hornworts (〜225), mosses (〜12,700), Lycophytes (〜1,290), Monilophytes (〜10,560) and Gymnosperma (〜1,079). According to the VPA, on September 22, 2022, Brazil had 34,780 spp. of vascular plants, being 1,206 of Monilophytes, 171 of Lycophytes, 24 in Gymnospermae and 33,379 of Angiosperma (SEE), followed, in last group, closely by China (29,716, SEE).
4 HIGH CLASSIFICATION OF ANGIOSPERMS
APG V (Byng, Chase, Christenhus, Mabberley, Stevens et al, Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 2026) recognizes 407 families in the 67 orders, while APG IV (Botanical Journal of Linnean Society, 2016, with 64 orders and 416 families) recognizes 437 families in 64 orders. The topology of the orders varied considerably among the intervening classifications.
For South America, compared with the previous data, there is the forced inclusion of Hydnoraceae in Aristolochiaceae; Taccaceae and Thismiaceae in Dioscoreaceae; Peraceae in Euphorbiaceae; Phrymaceae in Orobanchaceae; Aptandraceae, Coulaceae, and Ximeniaceae in Olacaceae; all Boraginales in Boraginaceae; and Calceolariaceae and Peltantheraceae in Gesneriaceae. In addition, Apodanthaceae has been renamed Rafflesiaceae, Bataceae is now Salvadoraceae, and Phyllonomaceae is now Helwingiaceae.
Compared with the previous list, 12 names are no longer recognized for Brazil, namely Hydnoraceae, Thismiaceae, Taccaceae, Peraceae, Aptandraceae, Coulaceae, Ximeniaceae, Ehretiaceae, Heliotropiaceae, Cordiaceae, Hydrophyllaceae, and Calceolariaceae. And names have been rearranged, namely Rafflesiaceae (which now includes Apodanthaceae) and and Salvadoraceae (which now includes Bataceae).
For world as a whole, excluding changes involving taxa occurring in Brazil, the following family expansions should be noted: Tecophilaeaceae (including Ixoliriaceae), Dioscoreaceae (including Afrothismiaceae), Olacaceae (including Oktoknemaceae), Balanophoraceae (including Mystopetalaceae), Frankeniaceae (including Tamaricaceae), Phytolaccaceae (including Sarcobataceae), Helwingiaceae (including the American Phyllonomaceae), and Gesneriaceae (including Peltantheraceae).
Finally, four genera are not assigned to any family, two in South America and two in Vietnam. Atrichodendron (1, Vietnam, associated with Solanaceae, but it certainly belongs to another family), Gumillea (1, Peru, is probably Picramnia, although no specimens are currently known), Keithia (1, Brazil, with a single sepal, five petals, and eight stamens, which do not match the characters required for its inclusion in Capparaceae, as originally suggested) and Poilanedora (1, Vietnam, not yet yielded usable DNA data from herbarium specimens, and its position therefore remains unconfirmed, probably related to Zygophyllaceae, although POWO places it in Capparaceae༒, as suggested by its original description).
Angios Bergianska Website, by Jan Thomas Johansson, privides a alternative Angiosperm classification, fantastic for the detailing, in plain text, of all the accepted genera in each family and its general distribution, sometimes even very detailed, and many easily accessible references.
ANGIOSPERM PHYLOGENY TREE, APG V (JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION, 2026)
In addition to the information above, we also highlight Rankings, a set of information on the diversity of South American flora analyzed under different aspects. For data on restrictions on Brazilian states, see Brazilian Restricted State Genera. By general notes for morphology, see Morphological and Ecological Notes.
5 ORDERS
APG V recognizes 66 orders worldwide, along with two families not assigned to any order. South America has representatives of 56 of these orders, with 53 recorded in Brazil and three not currently known from the continent, namely Fagales, Berberidopsidales, and Huertales. In addition, Columelliaceae is not assigned to any recognized order. Together, these four lineages comprise 10 families, 16 genera, and 46 species on the continent.
6 FAMILIES
There are 407 families by APG V, 269 in South America (66.09 ⁒ of the world's families), 225 in Brazil (corresponding to 83.64 ⁒ of families in South America and 55.28 ⁒ of the world total). The table below presents the number of families worldwide, in South America, and in Brazil, categorized by major angiosperm taxonomic groups.
| GROUP | WORLD | SOUTH AMERICA | BRAZIL | EXXOFAMILIES | G/SPP IN SOUTH AMERICA |
| AMBORELLALES | 1 | ||||
| NYMPHAEALES | 3 | 2 | 2 | ||
| AUSTROBAILEYALES | 3 | ||||
| MAGNOLIIDS | 19 | 14 | 12 | ATHEROSPERMATACEAE GOMORTEGACEAE |
2/2 |
| LILIANAE |
76 | 49 | 42 | ZOSTERACEAE MELANTHIACEAE CORSIACEAE PHILESIACEAE ASTELIACEAE TECOPHILEACEAE RESTIONACEAE |
11/17 |
| CERATOPHYLLALES | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2/2 | |
| RANUNCULALES | 7 | 5 | 3 | LARDIZABALACEAE PAPAVERACEAE |
2/2 |
| PROTEALES | 4 | 3 | 2 | NELUMBONACEAE | 1/1 |
| TROCHODENDRALES BUXALES |
2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| GUNNERALES DILLENIALES |
3 | 2 | 2 | ||
| VITALES | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| SAXIFRAGALES | 15 | 6 | 3 | GROSSULARIACEAE SAXIFRAGACEAE HAMAMELIDACEAE |
7/59 |
| CROSSOSOMATALES GERANIALES |
9 | 3 | 3 | ||
| ZYGOPHYLLALES MYRTALES |
11 | 9 | 8 | ALZATEACEAE | 1/1 |
| FABIDS |
27 | 19 | 13 | NOTHOFAGACEAE FAGACEAE MYRICACEAE JUGLANDACEAE BETULACEAE CORIARIACEAE |
11/28 |
| MALVIDS |
85 | 60 | 54 | TAPISCIACEAE DIPENTODONTACEAE CYTINACEAE DIPTEROCARPACEAE KOEBERLINIACEAE TOVARIACEAE |
6/18 |
| SANTALALES | 9 | 9 | 8 | MISODENDRACEAE | 1/8 |
| CARYOPHYLLALES | 36 | 21 | 17 | FRANKENIACEAE HALOPHYTACEAE MONTIACEAE ANACAMPSEROTACEAE |
11/110 |
| BERBERIDOPSIDALES | 2 | 2 | AEXTOXICACEAE BERBERIDOPSIDACEAE |
2/2 | |
| CORNALES ERICALES |
28 | 20 | 15 | HYDRANGEACEAE CORNACEAE POLEMONIACEAE ACTINIDIACEAE MITRASTEMONACEAE |
15/112 |
| LAMIIDS | 39 | 28 | 26 | TETRACHONDRACEAE HELWINGIACEAE |
3/4 |
| CAMPANULIDS | 26 | 14 | 12 | COLUMELIACEAE STYLIDIACEAE |
4/8 |
| 407 | 269 | 225 | 79/374 |
Brazil has more families than Argentina, Chile, Bolivia (223), Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, and less of them than Colombia (239), Venezuela (231) and Peru (227). Worldwide Mexico has 257 (Almanaque Z/Mexico ✕ Brazil Botany Comparations), tied with China (SEE). The 'A - B' symbol used in table below represents the number of native families in country A that do not occur in country B.
| COLOMBIA | 239 ✕ 225 | BRAZIL | ||
|
CL - BR = 24 (Fagaceae, Betulaceae, Juglandaceae, Myricaceae, Collumeliaceae, Dipentodontaceae, Tapisciaceae, Polemoniaceae, Montiaceae, Actinidiaceae, Grossulariaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Cytinaceae, Hydrangeaceae, Helwingiaceae, Papaveraceae, Nelumbonaceae, Hamamelidaceae, Mitrastemonaceae, Alzateaceae, Cornaceae, Tovariaceae, Coriariaceae and Tetrachondraceae) BR - CL = 10 (Calyceraceae, Canellaceae, Quillajaceae, Nartherciaceae, Francoaceae, Cistaceae, Sarraceniaceae, Gelsemiaceae, Goodeniaceae and Griseliniaceae) |
||||
| VENEZUELA | 231 ✕ 225 | BRAZIL | ||
|
VZ - BR = 16 (Betulaceae, Juglandaceae, Myricaceae, Collumeliaceae, Dipentodontaceae, Tapisciaceae, Polemoniaceae, Montiaceae, Actinidiaceae, Grossulariaceae, Papaveraceae, Melanthiaceae, Cornaceae, Tovariaceae, Coriariaceae and Tetrachondraceae) BR - VZ = 10 (Calyceraceae, Lepidobotryceae, Francoaceae, Rhabdodendraceae, Strombosiaceae, Juncaginaceae, Griseliniaceae, Anisophylleaceae, Quillajaceae and Gelsemiaceae) |
||||
| PERU | 227 ✕ 225 | BRAZIL | ||
|
PR - BR = 19 (Tecophileaceae, Corsiaceae, Betulaceae, Juglandaceae, Myricaceae, Collumeliaceae, Dipentodontaceae, Tapisciaceae, Polemoniaceae, Montiaceae, Actinidiaceae, Grossulariaceae, Hydrangeaceae, Helwingiaceae, Papaveraceae, Saxifragaceae, Alzateaceae, Cornaceae, Tovariaceae, Coriariaceae and Frankeniaceae) BR - PR = 17 (Thurniaceae, Quillajaceae, Tetrameristaceae, Cannellaceae, Cyrillaceae, Nartherciaceae, Griseliniaceae, Rhabdodendraceae, Peridiscaceae, Sarraceniaceae, Cymodoceaceae, Surianaceae, Cistaceae, Ixonanthaceae, Gelsemiaceae, Goodeniaceae and Euphroniaceae) |
||||
7 SOUTH AMERICA FAMILIES UNKNOWN IN BRAZIL (EXXOFAMILIES; UNBRAZILIAN FAMILIES)
South America has 44 families non native in Brazil, joined 79 genera and 374 spp. in continent, of which Conanthera, Zephyra (Tecophileaceae), Lapageria (Philesiaceae), Gomortega (Gomortegaceae), Pseudomonotes (Dipterocarpaceae), Schreiteria (Montiaceae), Halophytum (Halophytaceae), and Grahamia (Anacampserotaceae) are national endemisms. 10 of the these families have genera restricted to South America (Atherospermataceae, Gomortegaceae, Philesiaceae, Tecophylleaceae, Lardizabalaceae, Saxifragaceae, Nothofagaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Corsiaceae, and Collumeliaceae). All exxofamilies has 3 or fewer genera in South America except Polemoniaceae (12), Montiaceae (7) and Saxifragaceae (5). 29 has only a single genus.
The largest speciose families in continent are Montiaceae (98), Grossulariaceae (51), Actinidiaceae (49), Polemoniaceae (37), Hydrangeaceae (14), Nothofagaceae (10), Frankeniaceae (9), Dipentodontaceae (9), Tecophileaceae (9), Myricaceae (8), Misodendraceae (8), Saxifragaceae (7), Juglandaceae (6), Papaveraceae (5) and Collumeliaceae (5). Zosteraceae and Berberidopsidaceae on the continent are restricted to Chile; Koeberliniaceae to Bolivia; Melanthiaceae to Venezuela; Nelumbonaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Hamamelidaceae, Fagaceae, Cytinaceae and Mitrastemonaceae to Colombia. Halophytaceae is endemic to Argentina and Gomortegaceae is endemic to Chile.
NATIONAL ENDEMIC GENERA IN EXXOFAMILIES, SINGLE COUNTRY-CONTINENTALLY EXXOFAMILIES, AND ENDEMIC EXXOFAMILIES
8 GENERA
In September 11, 21, The Plant List - a united work including sources as Kew and MOBOT - showed 14,044 valid genera of Angiosperms worldwide (SEE). In July 30, 2026, there are 4,151 genera of Angiosperms in South America (SSAA). In Brazil occurs 2,746 (355 endemics), and the other 1,405 are those that occur in South America but not in Brazil (which this site reports under the names unbrazilian and their synonime neologism exxogenera, SEE). Among genera of Angiosperms, Brazil has the second amount in World, after China (3,003, SEE).
93 Brazilian genera are underrepresented in country - with high representation in South America but very low in Brazil; 59 genera are hypercentered in the country; 82 genera are semiendemic - not endemic to Brazil but in our country they have only endemic species — for a complete and detailed list, see Odd Distributions in Brazil. Brazilian largest genera are, via POWO (FEV 09, 2024, except Paepalanthus): Miconia (588), Eugenia (453), Myrcia (450), Mimosa (384), Croton (345), Piper (296), Solanum (281), Chamaecrista (278), Begonia (251), Paepalanthus (242), Paspalum (207) and Mikania (207).
Brazil's 355 endemic genera correspond to 12.87 ⁒ of the country's genera and 8.564 ⁒ of the continental total; the 13 countries together on the continent totaled 633 national endemic genera (SEE), 56.082 ⁒ of them Brazilian and together corresponding to 15.271 ⁒ of the continental amount. Suriname and Uruguay do not have endemic genera. 59 families has endemic genera in Brazil (including Ehretiaceae, Eriocaulaceae and Sapotaceae, excluding Ximeniaceae and Anisophylleaceae), being the only country in the world with an endemic genera in Martyniaceae and Humiriaceae. Among South American families, Achariaceae, Annonaceae, Capparaceae, Cleomaceae, Commelinaceae, Connaraceae, Convolvulaceae, Eriocaulaceae, Iridaceae, Lauraceae, Ochnaceae, Orobanchaceae, Linderniaceae, Lythraceae, Salicaceae, Polygalaceae, Menispermaceae and Celastraceae has endemic genera only in Brazil
25 famlies has endemic genera in a single country in South America but no has endemic genera in Brazil:
| 10 | CHILE | ARISTOLOCHIACEAE CAMPANULAC CARYOPHYLLAC ESCALLON FRANCOAC LARDIZAB GOMORTEG PHILESIAC PHYTOLACAC TECOPHILEACEAE | ||||
| 5 | ARGENTINA | ANACAMPSEROTACEAE MONTIACEAE HALOPHYTACEAE HELIOTROPIACEAE CALYCERACEAE | ||||
| 3 | PERU | COSTACEAE MUNTIGIACEAE ASPARAGACEAE | ||||
| 3 | GUYANA | PERIDISCACEAE PASSIFLORACEAE ERYTHROPALACEAE | ||||
| 2 | COLOMBIA | DIPTEROCARPACEAE VOCHYSIACEAE | ||||
| 2 | VENEZUELA | HAEMODORACEAE XYRIDACEAE | ||||
Six families have endemic genera in more than one country in South America excluding Brazil. Argentina has the largest number of genera in country context, and Brassicaceae has the largest in family context - almost a fifth these genera are Brassicaceae genera endemics to Argentina.
| ZYGOPHYLLACEAE | 2 | 1 | |||||
| ERICACEAE | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| BRASSICACEAE | 4 | 3 | 8 | ||||
| LOASACEAE | 2 | ||||||
| RAPATEACEAE | 2 | 4 | |||||
| VERBENACEAE | 2 | 1 | |||||
| 8 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
Important groups without endemic genera in Brazil is Brassicaceae, Cyperaceae and Ericaceae. Brazil no has hyperendemic family (family that in the country is composed only of endemic genera), such as Dipterocarpaceae in Colombia.
NATIONAL HYPERENDEMIC FAMILIES IN SOUTH AMERICA
9 ENDEMISM IN SPECIES
In 46 native families, Brazil has no endemic species (〜1/5 of national families). Consequently, Brazil has endemic species in 191 families. In at least three, Rhabdodendraceae, Microteaceae and Cabombaceae, is the only country in the world with such.
| GROUP | NUMBER | FAMILIES |
| MAGNOLIANAE | 1 | CHLORANTHACEAE |
| LILIANAE | 11 | RUPPIACEAE Juncaginaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae, Nartherciaceae, Taccaceae, Haemodoraceae, Typhaceae, Mayacaceae, Thurniaceae, Strelitziaceae CANNACEAE |
| CERATOPHYLLANAE | 2 | CERATOPHYLLACEAE |
| BUXANAE | 2 | BUXACEAE |
| SAXIFRAGANAE | 2 | PERIDISCACEAE, CRASSULACEAE |
| ROSANAE | 13 | ZYGOPHYLLACEAE Quillajaceae, Surianaceae, Brunelliaceae, Euphroniaceae, Goupiaceae, Ixonanhthaceae, Apodanthaceae, Lepidobotryaceae, Muntigiaceae, Cistaceae, Bataceae STAPHYLLEACEAE |
| SANTALANAE | 1 | COULACEAE |
| CARYOPHYLLANAE | 6 | BASELLACEAE Aizoaceae, Talinaceae, Phytolaccaceae, Plumbaginaceae ACHATOCARPACEAE |
| ASTERANAE | 10 | CYRILLACEAE Tetrameristaceae, Hydroleaceae, Hydrophyllaceae, Calceolariaceae, Stemonuraceae, Menyanthaceae, Goodeniaceae, Adoxaceae GRISELINIACEAE |
LAST UPDATES
SEP 18, 2026 ‣ reformatting and requalification of the text, numbers, and data in light of APG V (Byng, Chase, Christenhus, Mabberley, Stevens et al, Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 2026).
AGO 08, 2024 ‣ adjustment to the new position of Apodanthaceae in Malpighiales, rather than in Cucurbitales (JF Alzete et al., Mol. Phyl. and Evolution, 2024).
NOV 07, 2024 ‣ small corrections.
PIAUÍ, BRAZIL