This dataset will be a key resource for ongoing efforts to identify “Important Plant Areas – IPAs” in Mozambique, and to promote the conservation and sustainable management of these critical sites and species, thus enabling Mozambique to meet its commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Approximately 50% of taxa have been assessed for their extinction risk and, of these, just over half are globally threatened (57% for strict-endemics), with a further 10% (17% for strict-endemics) currently considered to be Data Deficient, highlighting the urgent need for targeted conservation of Mozambique’s unique flora. A total of 69% of taxa can be assigned to one of four cross-border Centres of Endemism: the Rovuma Centre, the Maputaland Centre sensu lato, and the two mountain blocks, Chimanimani-Nyanga and Mulanje-Namuli-Ribaue. Manica Province is by far the richest locality for near-endemic taxa, highlighting the importance of the cross-border Chimanimani-Nyanga (Manica) Highlands shared with Zimbabwe.

A wide range of life-forms are represented in the endemic and near-endemic flora, with 49% being herbaceous or having herbaceous forms and 55% being woody or having woody forms.

There is a high congruence between species-rich plant families and endemism with the notable exceptions of the Poaceae, which is the second-most species rich plant family, but outside of the top ten families in terms of endemism, and the Euphorbiaceae, which is the seventh-most species rich plant family, but third in terms of endemism. Important plant families for endemic and near-endemic taxa include Fabaceae, Rubiaceae and Euphorbiaceae s.s. New taxa from Mozambique continue to be described at a significant rate, with 20 novelties described in 2018. The mean year of first publication of these taxa is 1959, with a marked increase in description noted following the onset of the two major regional floristic programmes, the “Flora of Tropical East Africa” and “Flora Zambesiaca”, and an associated increase in botanical collecting effort. 9.3% of the total currently known flora of Mozambique and include five strict-endemic genera ( Baptorhachis, Emicocarpus, Gyrodoma, Icuria and Micklethwaitia ) and two near-endemic genera ( Triceratella and Oligophyton ). Aspects of the botanical significance of the area are discussed.Īn annotated checklist of the 271 strict-endemic taxa (235 species) and 387 near-endemic taxa (337 species) of vascular plants in Mozambique is provided. Despite the lower number of species recorded, the number of endemics on the Chimanimanis is significantly greater.

Comparison with checklists for other montane massifs in the Flora Zambesiaca area shows that the Chimanimani is not particularly species-rich, however it covers a smaller area with lesser altitudinal range. The revised checklist covers 977 taxa, 956 of them native, from 142 families (including ferns and gymnosperms) the 74 Chimanimani strict montane endemics, 7.7% of the flora, are indicated along with 19 near-endemic taxa. It is recognised that a fully comprehensive list for the montane area on both sides of the border would probably use a lower limit of 800 m and cover moist forests in more detail. Here we present a revision of that checklist with updated nomenclature and family circumscriptions, incorporating many recent additional records particularly from Mozambique. A detailed vascular plant checklist from the area above 1200 m altitude was produced by Goodier and Phipps in 1961, but focussed mostly on the Zimbabwe side. Extending over 530 km 2 on both sides of the Mozambique-Zimbabwe border, and primarily defined by its underlying geology, the Chimanimani massif is renowned for its montane vegetation and a high number of endemic taxa.

Define tincta botanical meaning