The Cape floristic region is a floristic province of South Africa. It is also known as the Cape floral region, the Cape floristic kingdom, Cape floristic province, and other variants. A floristic province is a geographic area with a relatively uniform composition of plant species. ...

The Cape floristic region covers the Mediterranean climate region of South Africa Western Cape Province in the southwestern corner of the country, and extends eastward into the Eastern Cape Province, a transitional zone between the winter-rainfall region to the west and the the summer-rainfall region to the east in Kwazulu-Natal Province. A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles those of the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. ... Capital Cape Town Largest city Cape Town Premier Ebrahim Rasool Area - Total Ranked 4th 129,370 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 5th 4,524,335 35/km² Languages Afrikaans (55. ... The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. ... KwaZulu-Natal, often referred to as KZN, is a province of South Africa. ...

Most of the region is covered with fynbos, a sclerophyll shrubland that is home to an amazing diversity of plant species, including many members of the Protea family (Proteaceae), Heath family (Ericaceae), and restios (Restionaceae). Other plant communities are strandveld, a soft coastal scrubland found mostly on the west-facing coast of the Western Cape, and renosterveld, a grassy shrubland dominated by members of the Daisy family (Asteraceae), particularly renosterbos (Elytropappus rhinocerotis). Small pockets of Afromontane forest can be found in humid and sheltered areas. Fynbos (Afrikaans for fine bush) is the natural vegetation occurring in a small belt of South Africa, mainly in the South-western Cape. ... Arid, largely treeless areas aside, most Australian bushland is sclerophyll forest. ... Shrubland is a habitat type dominated by woody shrubs. ... Genera See text The Proteaceae are a large family of flowering plants, which includes 75-80 genera and 1500 species of evergreen trees, shrubs, and herbs. ... Genera See text The plant Family Ericaceae (Heath Family) or ericaceous plants are mostly lime-hating or calcifuge plants that thrive in acid soils. ... Genera See text The family Restionaceae of flowering plants contains at the latest review (2003), 40 genera and 950 species all of which are tufted or rhizomatous herbs. ... Scrubland is an uncultivated region covered with scrub vegetation. ... Diversity About 900 genera and 13,000 species Type Genus Aster L. Subfamilies Barnadesioideae Cichorioideae Tribe Arctotidae Tribe Cardueae Tribe Eremothamneae Tribe Lactuceae Tribe Liabeae Tribe Mutisieae Tribe Tarchonantheae Tribe Vernonieae Asteroideae Tribe Anthemideae Tribe Astereae Tribe Calenduleae Tribe Eupatorieae Tribe Gnaphalieae Tribe Helenieae Tribe Heliantheae Tribe Inuleae Tribe Plucheae...

The World Wildlife Fund divides the cape floristic region into three ecoregions: the Lowland fynbos and renosterveld, Montane fynbos and renosterveld, and Albany thickets. The fynbos ecoregions are designated one of the Global 200 priority ecoregions for conservation. Conservation International declared the Cape floristic region to be a biodiversity hotspot. Note: After losing a court case in 2002 on the use of the initials WWF, the organization previously known as the World Wrestling Federation has rebranded itself as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE. WWF - The Conservation Organization was formerly known as World Wildlife Fund and Worldwide Fund for Nature. ... An ecoregion is a relatively large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Conservation International (CI) is a nonprofit organization headquarted in Washington, D.C., that seeks to protect Earths biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas as well as important marine regions around the globe. ... A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region that is both a significant reservoir of biodiversity and is threatened with destruction. ...

External links

• Cape floristic region biodiversity hotspot (Conservation International)
• Cape floristic region from Hotspots revisited (Conservation International)
• Cape floristic region (Cape Action)