Hermanns, South Africa Photograph by John Morrison   South Africa Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub   17,700 square miles (45,800 square kilometers) -- about the size of Maryland and Massachusetts combined Critical/Endangered

· Fifth Floral Kingdom
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Fifth Floral Kingdom

Located at the southwest tip of Africa lies the Cape Floral Kingdom, comprised of both the lowland and montane fynbos and renosterveld ecoregions. With about 8,500 different species of plants, 70% of which are found nowhere else on earth, it has been designated as one of the six plant kingdoms of the world. For its small size, it is one of the richest places in the world. Although not much distinguishes lowland and montane fynbos, montane fynbos occurs on the mountains of the Cape Folded Belt.

Special Features

Fynbos is often described as a Mediterrean-climate shrubland. Although it is often considered destructive, fire is one of the most important features and driving forces affecting the survival and regeneration of fynbos. During dry months, fires frequently blaze. During these times, many plants have become dependant on fires to drop seed, regenerate, or resprout. For example, immediately following a fire, many species, such as fire-lilies, flower in an explosion of color out of the charred earth.

	As one moves even short distances across the landscape, species change completely from one community to the next. For its size, fynbos contains the highest number of plant species in the world!

Wild Side

Montane fynbos is comprised of a variety of plant types of varying shapes and sizes, including species of ericas, restios and proteas such as pincushions, climberās friend, queen sugarbush, water sugarbush and Gideon's kop conebush. Ericas are usually the dominant plant type.

A number of animal species are pollinators and seed dispersers of fynbos, including bees, beetles, horseflies and ants. Birds are also important pollinators, such as sugarbirds and the orange-breasted sunbird that feeds on ericas which have evolved to fit the shape of the birdās beak. Protea itch mites are known to hitch rides on sugarbirds and sunbirds in order to feed on flowerheads of sugarbushes. Other species include the rare Table Mountain ghost frog, graceful crag lizard, orangebreasted and lesser double collared sunbirds and Cape mountain zebra.

Cause for Concern

For several centuries, people have lived in and developed the southern parts of South Africa. In montane fynbos, forestry, dam-building, alien species, and uncontrolled burning are primary threats. Fire is often controlled so that it doesnāt burn houses and other property; however, this changes natural conditions that many species need to survive. And people have brought many species to the fynbos from other areas that compete with native inhabitants for food and habitat. The presence of alien plants has also changed natural communities and threatened many plant and animal species. Many species in this ecoregion are naturally rare, and thus extremely vulnerable to extinction if their habitats are destroyed. Fortunately, many occur in the more remote upper montane areas, and may be protected with even small reserves.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.