Plant Life in the World's Mediterranean Climates: California, Chile, South Africa, Australia, and the Mediterranean BasinThis book provides a wonderful overview of the landscapes, vegetation types, and plants of the five regions of the world that have a Mediterranean climate. This climate of mild, rainy winters and dry, warm summers is found in California, Central Chile, the Cape Region of South Africa, the southwestern part of Australia and the Mediterranean Basin. The regions are widely separated and the flora of each is distinctive, having for the most part developed independently. Nevertheless, the plants share remarkably similar characteristics which allow them to thrive in these unusual conditions. Peter Dallman's non-technical prose is complemented by numerous maps, tables, and figures, and the book is richly illustrated with photographs of landscapes, plants, and flowers. With its detailed information on some of the world's most resilient plant life, this book will serve as an excellent reference for everyone interested in growing drought-resistant plants and as a naturalist's guide to these beautiful and unusual bioregions. For the growing number of travelers whose vacations focus on learning about and appreciating natural history, Dallman also includes a chapter on planning trips to the five Mediterranean regions. |
Contents
THE MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE | 1 |
PLANT AND CLIMATE ORIGINS | 19 |
PLANT ADAPTATIONS | 29 |
PLANT COMMUNITIES | 45 |
Common terms and phrases
abundant Adelaide annuals Banksia bloom Botanical Garden bulbs California canyon Cape Town Central Chile Central Valley chamise chaparral Chile chilensis coast live oak Coast Ranges coast redwood coastal scrub common deciduous dense drier drought-deciduous east endemic Erica Eucalyptus evergreen evergreen shrub evergreen tree feet fire flora flowers foliage foothills fynbos garrigue genera genus grazing groves grow herbaceous holm oak inland Kangaroo kwongan La Serena landscape leaves mallee maquis matorral Mediterranean Basin mediterranean climate areas mediterranean climate regions miles moister mountain National Park native northern nutrients oak Quercus oak woodland OCEAN orchids percent Perth pine Pinus plant communities plant species protea family Proteaceae rain rainfall Reproduced with permission Restionaceae root San Francisco Santiago sclerophyll scrub oak season seeds Serena shrublands shrubs slopes South Africa South Australia spring sprout strandveld tall temperature trails trunks understory Western Australia Western Cape wildflowers winter woodland and forest