Geographic area with a relatively uniform composition of plant species in the Antarctic
Fitzroya cupressoides ,
Chiloé Island
Phormium tenax ,
Piha , New Zealand
The Antarctic Floristic Kingdom , also the Holantarctic Kingdom , is a
floristic kingdom
[1] that includes most areas of the world south of
40°S
latitude . It was first identified by
botanist Ronald Good, and later by
Armen Takhtajan .
[1] The Antarctic Floristic Kingdom is a classification in
phytogeography , different from the
Antarctic realm classification in
biogeography , and from
Antarctic flora genera/species classifications in
botany .
Geography
The
Antarctic Floristic Kingdom includes the continent of
Antarctica ,
Patagonia (southern
Chile , southern
Argentina ,
Tierra del Fuego ), most of
New Zealand , the
New Zealand Subantarctic Islands , and all islands of the
Southern Ocean south of 40°S latitude, including
Gough Island , the
Kerguelen Islands , and the
Falkland Islands .
Tasmania is omitted since its plant species are more closely related to those found in the
Australian Floristic Kingdom .
Flora
The
flora of the Antarctic Kingdom dates back to the time of
Gondwana , the southern
supercontinent which once included most of the landmasses of the present-day
Southern Hemisphere , though it has been influenced by the flora of the
Holarctic Kingdom since the
Tertiary period. Ronald Good noted, as had
Joseph Dalton Hooker much earlier, that many plant species of Antarctica, temperate South America and New Zealand were very closely related, despite their
disjunction by the vast
Southern Ocean .
According to Ronald Good, about 50
genera of vascular plants are common in the Antarctic Floristic Kingdom, including
Nothofagus and
Dicksonia . Takhtajan also made note of hundreds of other vascular plant genera scattered and isolated on
islands of the Southern Ocean , including
Calandrinia feltonii of the Falkland Islands,
Pringlea antiscorbutica of the Kerguelen Islands, and the
megaherb genera of the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands.
According to Takhtajan, the following
families are
endemic or subendemic to this kingdom:
Thyrsopteridaceae ,
Lactoridaceae ,
Gomortegaceae , Hectorellaceae (Hectorella ),
Halophytaceae ,
Malesherbiaceae ,
Francoaceae ,
Aextoxicaceae ,
Vivianiaceae ,
Misodendraceae ,
Tribelaceae ,
Griseliniaceae
[1] and
Alseuosmiaceae .
[2]
[3]
Subdivisions
The
Antarctic Floristic Kingdom is subdivided into four floristic regions, and subdivided even further into sixteen floristic provinces. Most of the provinces lie within, or very near the
Antarctic convergence zone.
Floristic Regions
The Floristic Regions in the Antarctic Floristic Kingdom are the:
Fernandezian Region
Argentina-Chile-Patagonian Region
South Subantarctic Islands Region
Neozeylandic Region
Fernandezian Region
The
Fernandezian Region is often also included within the
Neotropical Kingdom . It includes the
Juan Fernández Islands and
Desventuradas Islands archipelagoes off the west coast of Chile.
Endemic family:
Lactoridaceae .
Endemic genera: 20, including
Thyrsopteris ,
Nothomyrcia ,
Selkirkia ,
Cuminia ,
Juania ,
Robinsonia ,
Rhetinodendron ,
Symphyochaeta ,
Centaurodendron ,
Yunquea ,
Hesperogreigia ,
Podophorus ,
Pantathera and
Megalachne .
Species endemism of vascular plants is very high (about 70%).
Provinces
Juan Fernández Province
Argentina-Chile-Patagonian Region
Lapageria rosea , in
Chile .
Within southern
South America , in regions of
Chile and
Argentina .
Endemic families:
Gomortegaceae ,
Halophytaceae ,
Malesherbiaceae ,
Tribelaceae ,
Francoaceae ,
Aextoxicaceae ,
Misodendraceae .
Endemic genera: many, including
Leptocionium ,
Saxegothaea ,
Austrocedrus ,
Pilgerodendron ,
Fitzroya ,
Peumus ,
Boquila ,
Lardizabala ,
Philippiella ,
Austrocactus ,
Holmbergia ,
Berberidopsis ,
Niederleinia ,
Lebetanthus ,
Ovidia ,
Quillaja ,
Kageneckia ,
Saxifragella ,
Zuccagnia ,
Tepualia ,
Tropaeolum ,
Gymnophyton ,
Laretia ,
Mulinum ,
Talguenea ,
Schizanthus ,
Melosperma ,
Monttea ,
Hygea ,
Mitraria ,
Sarmienta ,
Chiliotrichum ,
Melalema ,
Nassauvia ,
Tetroncium ,
Gilliesia ,
Leontochir ,
Leucocryne ,
Schickendantziella ,
Solaria ,
Lapageria ,
Conanthera ,
Tecophilaea ,
Tapeinia ,
Fascicularia ,
Ortachne ,
Jubaea
Endemic species: many.
Provinces
Northern Chilean Province
Central Chilean Province
Argentine
Pampas Province
Patagonian Province
Tierra del Fuego Province
Neozeylandic Region
Entelea arborescens ,
Auckland , New Zealand.
The greater
New Zealand islands region, including: the
Zealandia islands (e.g.
North Island ,
South Island ), the
New Zealand outlying islands , and the
New Zealand Subantarctic Islands .
Endemic family:
Ixerbaceae an endemic monogeneric family of one species,
Ixerba brexioides . The only endemic New Zealand vascular plant family.
Endemic genera: 50, including
Loxsoma ,
Pseudowintera ,
Hectorella ,
Entelea ,
Hoheria ,
Corokia ,
Alseuosmia ,
Carmichaelia ,
Lophomyrtus ,
Neomyrtus ,
Plectomirtha ,
Stilbocarpa ,
Kirkophytum ,
Coxella ,
Lignocarpa ,
Scandia ,
Dactylanthus ,
Myosotidium ,
Parahebe ,
Negria ,
Rhabdothamnus ,
Teucridium ,
Oreostylidium ,
Pachystegia ,
Haastia ,
Leucogenes ,
Phormium ,
Rhopalostylis ,
Lepidorrhachis ,
Hedyscepe ,
Howea ,
Sporadanthus ,
Aporostylis ,
Desmoschoenus ),
Endemic species: very high species endemism, especially among
Pinophyta .
Provinces
Lord Howe Province
Norfolkian Province
Kermadecian Province
Northern Neozeylandic Province
Central Neozeylandic Province
Southern Neozeylandic Province
Chatham Province
New Zealand Subantarctic Islands Province
South Subantarctic Islands Region
The South
Subantarctic Islands
Tristan —
Gough Province
Kerguelen Province
See also
References
^
a
b
c Takhtajan, A. (1986). Floristic Regions of the World . (translated by T.J. Crovello & A. Cronquist). University of California Press, Berkeley,
PDF ,
DjVu .
^ Takhtajan, A. 1969. Flowering plants: origin and dispersal. Transl. by C. Jeffrey. Oliver &. Boyd, Edinburgh. 310 pp.
[1] .
^ Тахтаджян А. Л. Флористические области Земли / Академия наук СССР. Ботанический институт им. В. Л. Комарова. — Л.: Наука, Ленинградское отделение, 1978. — 247 с. — 4000 экз.
DjVu
Archived 2018-10-05 at the
Wayback Machine ,
Google Books .
External links