Abstract
The genus Cynoglossum L. (hound’s tongue) is represented in the southern African region by only eight species. Although fruit and floral morphology have previously been used as diagnostic characters, the genus remains taxonomically and morphologically complex. While most genera of the family Boraginaceae are resolved phylogenetically, Cynoglossum and its generic segregates remain problematic and recent phylogenetic studies suggest that it is paraphyletic with other genera nested within it. In the southern African region, the genus was last revised more than 100 years ago and, as a result, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) listed this genus as one of the priority genera in need of a taxonomic revision. Species of this genus are used as remedies in folk medicine and can be grown as ornamental plants in gardens and parks...
M.Sc. (Botany)