This volume represents the first part (out of two) of the family Poaceae, one of the largest families of monocots. It covers 120 genera and 823 species of indigenous plants, about half of the total of grasses in tropical Africa. However, a number of introduced taxa are also mentioned in our list [within square brackets]. They are not included in these figures.
The generic concept adopted by the authors is usually the same as that used in several traditional floras, and in Enumération 3: 212 – 292 (1995). However, the last two decades have seen profound changes in techniques and approaches to the subject. Changes are inevitable, and in the main lines the authors follow the concept of the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, version of February 2015, when this compilation started.
The descriptions of the species and the ecological notes figuring in this checklist are mainly borrowed or adapted from the floras and articles cited under each taxon or in Enumération, Volume 3.