Cape Floral Region Protected Areas*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	South Africa
Type	Natural
Criteria	ix, x
Reference	1007
Region†	Africa
Inscription history
Inscription	2004  (28th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Fynbos (pronounced [ˈfəinbɒs], or anglicised as /ˈfeɪnbɒs/, meaning "fine bush" in Afrikaans) is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sub-Saharan Africa. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in Shrubland (synonymous with Scrubland) is a habitat type dominated by woody Shrubs A shrub is a perennial woody plant that branches at ground level to form several Heaths are Shrubland habitats characterised by open low growing woody Vegetation, found on mainly infertile Acidic soils The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the Climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide

Contents 1 Cape Floral Kingdom 2 Fynbos families 3 Fire 4 Economic uses 5 Conservation 6 See also 7 External links

Cape Floral Kingdom

Fynbos grows in a 100-200km wide coastal belt stretching from Clanwilliam on the West coast to Port Elizabeth on the Southeast coast. For the Manitoba location see the Rural Municipality of Clanwilliam. It forms part of the Cape floral kingdom, where it accounts for half of the surface area and 80% of the plant varieties. The Cape floristic region is a Floristic region located in South Africa. The fynbos in the western regions is more rich and varied than in the eastern regions of South Africa.

Of the world's six floral kingdoms, this is the smallest and richest per area unit. A Phytochorion, in Phytogeography, is a geographic area with a relatively uniform composition of plant species Contrast it in size with the Holarctic kingdom, which incorporates the whole of the northern hemisphere apart from the tropical regions. The Holarctic Ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole The diversity of fynbos plants is greater than that of the tropical rainforests, with over 9000 species of plants occurring in the area, around 6200 of which are endemic, i. Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere e. do not occur anywhere else in the world. Of the Ericas, 600 occur in the fynbos kingdom, while only 26 are found in the rest of the world. This is in an area of 46,000 km² - by comparison, the Netherlands, with an area of 33,000 km², has 1400 species, none of them endemic. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Table Mountain in Cape Town supports 2200 species, more than the entire United Kingdom. Table Mountain is a flat-topped Mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Thus although the Fynbos comprises only 6% of the area of southern Africa it has half the species on the subcontinent, and in fact has almost 1 in 5 of all plant species in Africa.

Fynbos families

The name fynbos is Afrikaans for fine bush and refers to the fine, needle-like leaves of many fynbos species. Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in The majority of the plants are evergreen sclerophyll (hard-leaf) plants. In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem Three of the characteristic fynbos plant families are proteas, ericas and restios. Proteaceae is a family of Flowering plants. Mainly restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, it is a fairly large family with around 80 genera The Plant family Ericaceae (also called the heath family or ericaceous plants) are mostly lime -hating ( Calcifuge) Restionaceae is the Botanical name for a family of Flowering plants. Proteas are represented by many species and are prominent in the landscape as one of the few large-leaf plant types, generally with large striking flowers which may be pollinated by birds. Ericas or heaths are generally smaller plants with many small, tubular flowers and needle-like leaves. The grass-like restios - only a few species of which are known outside the fynbos area - grow in wetter areas. More than 1400 bulb species occur among the fynbos, of which 96 are gladiolus and 54 lachenalias. Gladiolus (from Latin, the Diminutive of gladius, a Sword) is a Genus of Flowering plants in the iris family Lachenalia is a genus of Bulbs in the Hyacinthaceae family which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa.

Fire

Fire is a necessary stage in the lives of almost all fynbos plants, and is common during the dry summer months. Many of the seeds germinate only after the intense heat of a fire. In readiness for fire, most proteas retain their seeds on the bush for at least one year, a habit known as serotiny. Serotiny is the behaviour of some Plant species that retain their non-dormant Seeds in a cone or woody Fruit for up to several years but release They do this in structures which resemble the original flowerheads. In some species these structures are strikingly beautiful and long-lasting, which accounts for their use in dried floral arrangements.

Economic uses

Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and Honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia) are of economic importance, grown and harvested in large quantities in the Cederberg area, and making up an important export. Rooibos (ˈrɔɪbɒs like "roy-boss" Afrikaans for "red bush" scientific name Aspalathus linearis) is a Honeybush (scientific name Cyclopia spp; Family Fabaceae or 'Heuningbos' in Afrikaans, is commonly used to make an infusion in the same manner as Tea The Cederberg Mountains and Nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about Proteas and other floral species are grown in many areas and their flowers harvested for export. Restios continue to be used for thatching as they have for hundreds or even thousands of years.

In many areas with Mediterranean climates, fynbos species are popular garden plants, in particular aloes and geraniums, and in cooler regions are used as window plants. Aloe, also written Aloë, is a Genus containing about four hundred Species of flowering succulent Plants Pelargonium is a Genus of Flowering plants which includes about 200 Species of perennial, succulent, and Shrub

Fynbos areas are a popular attraction for tourists, especially in the vicinity of Cape Town, and are also important recreational areas for locals. Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the

Conservation

Large parts of the fynbos region have been developed for agriculture or through the urban expansion around Cape Town. Fynbos areas are also threatened by the spread of alien species, in particular wattle and acacia species from Australia, as well as pine plantations. Many species have gone extinct, and more than 1000 are endangered. Their conservation is a priority, and reserves have been established in many areas.

See also

• Shrubland
• Heath (habitat)

External links

• Western Cape School Network on fynbos
• "Protea Atlas Project" with excellent information and images. Shrubland (synonymous with Scrubland) is a habitat type dominated by woody Shrubs A shrub is a perennial woody plant that branches at ground level to form several Heaths are Shrubland habitats characterised by open low growing woody Vegetation, found on mainly infertile Acidic soils
• Fauna & Flora International's work on fynbos
• Fynbos Photography (organized taxonomically)

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