|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Cape Floral Kingdom |
|
|
| There are six floral kingdoms on earth. | ||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
An unrivaled community of plants, the Fynbos (fine bush), forms a subset (biome) of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Derived from the Dutch, the name describes many of the plants in this biome i.e.: fine-leafed bushes. The Fynbos contains some 7,700 plant species and is characterized by the presence of three main plant families. |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
The proteoid component (protea types) is characterized by having larger, flatter leaves that are either waxy or hairy. They are usually taller than the surrounding plants. The flowers of this group are exquisite and are prized by the cut-flower industry. The Protea Atlas Project is an essential resource for further reading about this unique collection of plants.
Many Fynbos species are extremely rare and only found in isolated populations. Numerous species are classified as endangered and a number have become extinct. This astonishing floral diversity needs to be conserved at all costs. |
From Cape Town the Cape Floral
Kingdom stretches north to Clanwilliam and east to
Grahamstown. Even though the Cape Floral Kingdom is by
far the smallest (the only contained by one country), it
is the richest having some 8,700 species of plants. This
kingdom has the highest concentration of plant species
namely: 1,300 per 10,000 km2. The nearest
rival, the South American rain forest has a concentration
of only 400 per 10,000 km2. Over 5,000 of
these is endemic appearing nowhere else on earth. The
Cape Peninsula has over 2280 plant species more than the
entire British Isles. Table Mountain alone has over 1,470
plant species.
The ericoid component (heath
types) is characterized by having fine leaves and
delicate tubular flowers. The blooms are often remarkably
beautiful. More than 600 species occur in Southern Africa
while only 26 species occur in the rest of the world. The
Cape Peninsula alone boasts more than 100 species.
The restiod component (reed
types) is the distinguishing plant type of Fynbos. The
classification of Fynbos, by definition, requires a cover
of >5%. The Cape Reeds take the place of grasses and
exist as separate male and female plants. They are often
utilized as thatch for roofs.