List of authors of South African botanical taxa is a list of authors who have named South African plants and the standard abbreviations used for those authors in the botanical literature.

The entry for each author is given on a single line showing their name, dates and other names by which they have been known. Following this comes a list of the major groups they have worked on, separated by commas, and finally the standard form for their name (in bold).

• S - Spermatophytes/Phanerogams (flowering plants and gymnosperms)
• M - Fungi and Lichens (Mycology)
• A - Algae
• P - Pteridophytes
• B - Bryophytes
• F - Fossils
• L - Pre-Linnaean (from 'Stafleu & Cowan 1976)
• C - Cryptogamic (from 'Stafleu & Cowan 1976)

The dates given are those of birth and death where one or both are available. If neither is known, a date on which the author is known to have published a name (usually the earliest if more than one is known) is given preceded by 'fl.' (floruit).

• List of botanists by author abbreviation
• International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants