Flowering Plants of Africa

Started in 1921, and modelled on Kew’s famous Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, the series aims to convey the beauty and variety of African plants and flowers, and promote the study and conservation of Africa’s flora. The series also aims to promote botanical art and many botanical artist have contributed to the series, among them Cythna Letty - a doyenne of South African botanical art and 730 of her plates have been published in the series - Kathleen Annie Lansdell, Gillian Condy, Fay Anderson, Auriol Batten, Rosemary Holcroft, Betty Connell, Ellaphie Ward-Hilhorst and Barbara Pike. The Botanical Society of South Africa awards a Cythna Letty Medal to artists for their contributions to the understanding of South African flora through their paintings or drawings.

Published for many years by South Africa’s National Botanical Institute, Flowering Plants of Africa is now an imprint of the South African National Biodiversity Institute, which plans to publish a new volume every two years. Earlier volumes retain the nomenclature current at the time of publication.

History of this series
Volume 1 (1921) to Volume 24 (1944)
The Flowering Plants of South Africa

Volume 25 (1945-1946) to Volume 26 (1947)
The Flowering Plants of Africa

Volume 27 (1948-1949) to Volume 52 (1992-1993)
The Flowering Plants of Africa
Die Blomplante van Afrika

Volume 53 (1994) to present
Flowering Plants of Afrca