Cape flora
The Cape flora , also Kapensis (Capensis), is the smallest of the six continental flora kingdoms on earth. It includes the winter rain area at the southern tip of Africa ( South Africa ) and is separated from the rest of Africa by a desert belt (made up of Karoo and Namib ). With around 90,000 km² it is the smallest of the flora kingdoms, but in relation to the area the Cape region is the most species-rich . Every year it attracts numerous botanists and plant enthusiasts from all over the world.
The extraordinary abundance of endemics in the Cape flora is particularly noteworthy, which means that there are many species of a genus or family that can only be found in this limited area worldwide. In addition, there are similarities with the flora-rich Antarctica and Australis . These areas, which are now far apart, were part of the continent of Gondwana until the end of the Jura .
Plant species
The flora is exceptionally rich in species. On an area of 74,000 km² there are around 9,000 species of flowering plants, of which around 70% are endemic . The diverse evergreen plant community of the Kapensis is known as Fynbos ("fine bush"). The determining components are the silver tree family (Proteaceae), the sourgrass-like family of the Restionaceae and ericoid families such as the heather family (Ericaceae). Bruniaceae and Stilbaceae , as well as numerous geophytes with families such as the orchid family (Orchidaceae), daffodil family (Amaryllidaceae) and iridaceae .
The Cape flora is rather tree-poor, for example palm trees (Arecaceae) are completely absent . Evergreen forests, which were severely decimated by the European settlers, can still be found in protected valleys and on mountain slopes. The largest tree species is the Podocarpus falcatus , which reaches a height of 60 m.
Alone on the Cape Peninsula ( Cape Fold Belt ) there are more species of plants than in the UK . On the other hand, the Namaqualand to the north ( Succulent Karoo ) is not counted as a Kapensis .
Numerous plant species that grow wild in this region have been imported to Europe and are the starting point for many breeding of popular ornamental plants . These include species of the family Asteraceae (Asteraceae) as the helichrysum ( Helichrysum ), the aizoaceae (Aizoaceae) and from other families freesia ( Freesia ) irises ( Iris ), gladiolus ( Gladiolus ), geranium ( Geranium ) and geraniums ( Pelargonium ) .
Fires to support life
Forest fires represent an important enrichment of the ecology in the Kapensis in many places, so-called fire ecosystems . They are also a reason why there is little forest in drier areas. Some plants only germinate after a fire, so the parents won't take away the light from the younger plants. Nowadays, attempts are sometimes made to preserve nature through targeted fires.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Wolfgang Wetschnig: On the flora and vegetation of southern Africa: the cape. In: Carinthia II. 180/100. Year, Klagenfurt 1990, pp. 211–227 ( PDF on ZOBODAT , article on the Cape flora).
- ↑ - ( Memento of the original from December 31, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
