Figueiredo is an Honorary Professor in the Department of Botany at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth and research associate at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. She has a keen interest in the African flora, the succulent flora of the world and sustainable gardening

Gideon F Smith is Professor of plant science at the University of Pretoria, and a Research Associate at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. Through his interests in the biology and classification of succulent plants, as well as landscaping and horticulture, he is involved in various national and international environmental research associations. He has authored or co-authored a range of books, including an earlier edition of Succulents of Southern Africa.

Neil R Crouch heads up the Ethnobotany Unit of SANBI in Durban, where he is also an Honorary Professor in the School of Chemistry at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His research interests focus primarily on medicinal plants and their potential in drug development. He has published scientific and popular papers, and authored or co-authored a range of books, including Ferns of Southern Africa.