floristic regions
Plant distribution areas
Floristic regions are geographic areas classified by their distinctive plant life, based on which species naturally occur there rather than climate or terrain alone.
Botanists divide the world into floristic kingdoms, regions, and provinces, each with characteristic vegetation: The Cape Floristic Region of South Africa contains remarkable biodiversity.
The system helps ecologists understand plant distribution and evolution.
- temperateMild, avoiding extremes
- tropicalOf hot, humid regions
- relict speciesSpecies surviving past contemporaries
- flora and faunaAll living organisms
- rainforestWet tropical woodland ecosystem
ancient forests · humid · arid · monsoonal · endemic species · boreal · tundra · continental · mangrove · paleoecology · taiga · biodiversity hotspots · semi-arid · deforestation · equatorial · polar · conservation biology · maritime
- plant geographynative flora, native plants, tropical flora, desert flora, neotropical
- plantstree, plants, leaves, bluebonnet, trees
- Asian floracherry blossoms, bamboo, lotus flowers, sakura, plum blossoms
- regional floranative plants, native flora, indigenous species, native wildflowers, alpine plants
- paleobotanyplant fossils, fossilized wood, petrified wood, fronds, fossil record
natural vs. anthropogenic boundaries
floristic regionspolitical boundaries
Jurisdictional dividing lines