Fynbos

The fynbos biome is located in southwestern South Africa; it is divided Renosterveld and various types of fynbos in the vegetation types. While the West of this area is characterized by a typical winter rainfall climate with more or less pronounced summer drought, the rainfall in the east of the Cape provinces are distributed with no discernible temporal years maximum over the year. During hot and dry weather periods it comes to bush fires that will define the vegetation crucial.

The very species-rich Fynbos grows in a 100 to 200 km wide coastal strip between the towns of Clanwilliam and Port Elizabeth and is part of the Cape Floral Region ( capensis). One distinguishes coastal fynbos and mountain fynbos. The Fynbos covers about half the area of the capensis and contains 80 % of the plant species occurring there. In numbers over 7,000 ferns and flowering plant species ( more than half of them endemic) means an area of 46,000 km ² (compared to Lower Saxony with about 1,700 species, none of which are endemic, is slightly larger ). The fynbos in winter rain climate is much more diverse than those in the eastern part of the Cape.

The flora of the Fynbos vegetation types is characterized by the presence of six endemic or nearly endemic plant families: Bruniaceae, Geissolomataceae, Grubbiaceae, Penaeaceae, Roridulaceae and Stilbaceae. The flora of the erikoiden fynbos is rich in shrubby sclerophyll. Represented with particularly many species here are the silver tree family ( Proteaceae ) that characterize large areas of the landscape proteoiden fynbos and with their recognizable from far away, often palm-sized inflorescences whose flowers are pollinated by birds. Also a large area come heather family ( Ericaceae ) in several hundred species. The related with the grasses Restionaceen - only a few species occur outside the fynbos - characterize wet locations, the restioiden fynbos. About 1,400 species, of which 96 gladiolus species and 54 species Lachenalia - The fourth component of the fynbos geophytes apply.

The name fynbos (derived from the Dutch " fijnbosch " ) refers to the unsuitable as timber slender trunks of shrubs and may be translated as " fine- membered bushes ".

Of economic importance of the plant species such as the rooibos ( Aspalathus linearis ), which is collected wild and cultivated in the region around the Cederberg in a big way. As rooibos or rooibos he is one of the most important agricultural export products of the Cape. Even the honey bush tea ( Honey Bush) is obtained from plants of the fynbos, several endemic species of the leguminous genus Cyclopia be collected for this purpose. Proteenblüten be treated as long-lasting cut flowers and now cultivated for the European market in Spain.

Many types of Fynbosflora be used in mediterranean climate regions as ornamentals (eg Aloe species, Pelargonium species) are in colder climates as cold house and patio plants in culture. Skip to main flowering period is a popular tourist destination for foreign tourists, the Fynbos offers year-round an important recreational area for the Greater Cape Town.

Large parts of the fynbos vegetation are threatened by increasing the agglomeration of Cape Town, a widening agriculture (eg orchards) and the spread of exotic plant species. Many plants of the fynbos are already extinct, more than 1,000 species are considered threatened or endangered with extinction. Efforts are being made, by Reserves to obtain representative portions of the vegetation (eg in the West Coast National Park and the reserves of the World Heritage Cape Floral, see web link).

Pictures

Some species of plants from the Fynbos:

Rooibos ( Aspalathus linearis ).

Erica turgida.

Swell

  • Fynbos in Plantzafrica.
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