Fynbos
The biome Fynbos is located in the southwest of South Africa ; it is divided into the Renosterveld vegetation types and various types of fynbos . While the west of this area is characterized by a typical winter rainy climate with more or less pronounced summer dryness, the precipitation in the east of the Cape region is distributed over the year without a clear seasonal maximum. In times of hot and dry weather periods, bush fires occur, which have a decisive influence on the vegetation.
The very species-rich fynbos vegetation grows in a 100 to 200 km wide coastal strip between the cities of Clanwilliam and Port Elizabeth and is part of the Cape flora region ( Capensis ). A distinction is made between coastal fynbos and mountain fynbos. The fynbos covers about half the area of the capensis and is home to about 80% of the plant species found there . In figures, this means over 7,000 fern and flowering plant species (more than half of them endemic ) on an area of 46,000 km² (for comparison: Lower Saxony with approx. 1,700 species, none of which are endemic, is slightly larger). The fynbos vegetation in the winter rainy climate is significantly more diverse than that in the eastern part of the Cape region.
The flora of the fynbos vegetation types is characterized by the presence of six endemic or almost endemic plant families: Bruniaceae , Geissolomataceae , Grubbiaceae , Penaeaceae , Roridulaceae and Stilbaceae . The flora of the ericoid fynbos is rich in shrubby hardwood plants . The silver tree family (Proteaceae) are represented here with a particularly large number of species , which characterize the landscape of the proteoid fynbos over large areas and with their inflorescences, often over the size of the palm of a hand, whose flowers are pollinated by birds. The heather family (Ericaceae) also occurs over a large area in several hundred species. The restionaceae , which are related to the grasses - only a few species occur outside the fynbos - characterize moist locations, the restioid fynbos. The fourth component of the fynbos are the geophytes - around 1,400 species, of which 96 are gladiolus species and 54 species are Lachenalia .
The name Fynbos (derived from the Dutch "fijnbosch") refers to the slender trunks of the bushes, which are unsuitable as construction timber, and can be translated as "delicate bushes".
Of economic importance is of the occurring plant species z. B. the red bush ( Aspalathus linearis ), which is collected in the wild and grown on a large scale in the region around the Cedar Mountains . As rooibos or rooibos tea, it is one of the Cape's most important agricultural export products. Even the Honigbusch -Tee (Honey Bush) is obtained from plants of the fynbos, several endemic species The leguminous Cyclopia be collected for this purpose. Protein flowers are traded as long-lived cut flowers and are now also grown in Spain for the European market .
Many species of the fynbos flora are used as ornamental plants in Mediterranean climatic regions (e.g. Aloe species, Pelargonium species) or are cultivated in cooler regions as cold house and balcony plants. A popular tourist destination for foreign tourists during the main heyday, the Fynbos offers an important local recreation area for the greater Cape Town area all year round .
Large parts of the fynbos vegetation are threatened by the enlargement of the agglomeration around Cape Town, expanding agriculture (e.g. fruit growing ) and the spread of foreign plant species. Numerous plants of the fynbos are already extinct, well over 1,000 species are considered threatened or endangered. Efforts are being made to preserve representative parts of the vegetation through reserves (e.g. in the West Coast National Park and the reserves of the Cape Floral World Heritage Site , see web link).
photos
Some plant species from the fynbos:
Inflorescence of the King Protea ( Protea cynaroides ).
Red bush ( Aspalathus linearis ).
Erica turgida .
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