Cape floristic region
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cape floristic region is a floristic province of South Africa. It is also known as the Cape floral region, the Cape floristic kingdom, Cape floristic province, and other variants.
The Cape floristic region covers the Mediterranean climate region of South Africa Western Cape Province in the southwestern corner of the country, and extends eastward into the Eastern Cape Province, a transitional zone between the winter-rainfall region to the west and the summer-rainfall region to the east in Kwazulu-Natal Province.
Most of the region is covered with fynbos, a sclerophyll shrubland that is home to an amazing diversity of plant species, including many members of the Protea family (Proteaceae), Heath family (Ericaceae), and restios (Restionaceae). Other plant communities are strandveld, a soft coastal scrubland found mostly on the west-facing coast of the Western Cape, and renosterveld, a grassy shrubland dominated by members of the Daisy family (Asteraceae), particularly renosterbos (Elytropappus rhinocerotis). Small pockets of Afromontane forest can be found in humid and sheltered areas.
The World Wildlife Fund divides the cape floristic region into three ecoregions: the Lowland fynbos and renosterveld, Montane fynbos and renosterveld, and Albany thickets. The fynbos ecoregions are designated one of the Global 200 priority ecoregions for conservation. Conservation International declared the Cape floristic region to be a biodiversity hotspot.
