Hugging the coastline
along the far southwestern tip of the African continent, the 78,555
km² Cape Floristic Region hotspot is located entirely within the
borders of South Africa.
Of the world's six floral
kingdoms,
this is the smallest and richest per area unit. Contrast it in size
with the Holarctic kingdom, which incorporates the whole of the
northern hemisphere apart from the tropical regions. The diversity of
plants rivals that of the tropical rainforests, with over 9000 species
of plants occurring in the area, around 6200 of which are endemic, i.e. do not occur
anywhere else in the world. This is why important areas have been
chosen as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The
vegetation on the Cape is dominated by fynbos (Afrikaans for
fine bush),
a shrubland comprising hard-leafed, evergreen, and fire-prone heather
that thrives on the region's rocky or sandy nutrient-poor soils.
Although the region was once covered by lush rain forest, climate
changes around 15 million years ago resulted in the retreat of the
forests. Trees were replaced by flammable sclerophyllous plants, and
periodic fires became integral to the ecosystem.
Today,
indigenous trees are rare in pristine Cape landscapes and true
forests occupy a mere 3,850 km², mostly in moist, fire-protected
sites on the southern coastal forelands and lower mountain slopes. The
Cape forests, 10-30 meters tall, are essentially outliers of the
Afromontane forests of the high mountains of tropical Africa.
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Map of the Cape Floral Kingdom
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Links &
References
