The e‐Flora of South Africa: Expanding the foundations of botanical knowledge within a global framework

Abstract

Abstract Floras form the critical foundation for the assessment, monitoring, and protection of botanical biodiversity. In 2013, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) became a member of the World Flora Online (WFO) Consortium. Since then, SANBI has made significant progress in the development of the e‐Flora of South Africa, culminating in its completion in 2020. This was done by compiling existing data and making it publicly accessible online in 2024. From 2016 onward, data from both the South African National Plant Checklist and the e‐Flora of South Africa has been incorporated into the WFO, fulfilling South Africa's international commitments to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and the WFO initiative. Moving forward, the e‐Flora of South Africa will be continuously updated in accordance with revisions to the South African National Plant Checklist, with planned extensions to include descriptions of infraspecific taxa, genera, families, and naturalised species. This paper provides a detailed overview of the e‐Flora of South Africa project, highlighting its scope, importance, and alignment with the WFO.