The
Antarctic Floristic Kingdom (also
Holantarctic Kingdom) is a floristic region first identified by botanist Ronald Good (and later by
Armen TakhtajanArmen Leonovich Takhtajan or Takhtajian , was a Soviet-Armenian botanist, one of the most important figures in 20th century plant evolution and systematics and biogeography. His other interests included morphology of flowering plants, paleobotany, and the flora of the Caucasus...
), which includes most areas of the world south of
40°SThe 40th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 40 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America....
latitudeIn geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
. The Antarctic plant kingdom includes the continent of
Antarctica,
PatagoniaPatagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
(southern
ChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, southern
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
,
Tierra del FuegoTierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
), most of
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, the
New Zealand Sub-Antarctic IslandsThe five southernmost groups of the New Zealand Outlying Islands form the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic islands. These islands are collectively designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site....
, and all islands of the
Southern OceanThe Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
south of 40°S latitude, including
Gough IslandGough Island , also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares or Diego Alvarez, is a volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha and part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha...
, the
Kerguelen IslandsThe Kerguelen Islands , also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean constituting the emerged part of the otherwise submerged Kerguelen Plateau. The islands, along with Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands and the Amsterdam and Saint Paul Islands are part of...
, and the
Falkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
is omitted since its plant species are more closely related to those found in the Australian Floristic Kingdom. Good noted, as had
Joseph Dalton HookerSir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
much earlier, that many plant species of Antarctica, temperate South America and New Zealand were very closely related, despite their
disjunctionIn biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
by the vast
Southern OceanThe Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
. The
flora of this kingdomThe Antarctic flora is a distinct community of vascular plants which evolved millions of years ago on the supercontinent of Gondwana, and is now found on several separate areas of the Southern Hemisphere, including southern South America, southernmost Africa, New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia...
dates back to the time of
GondwanaIn paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
, the southern
supercontinentIn geology, a supercontinent is a landmass comprising more than one continental core, or craton. The assembly of cratons and accreted terranes that form Eurasia qualifies as a supercontinent today.-History:...
which once included most of the landmasses of the present-day
Southern HemisphereThe Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
, though it has been influenced by the flora of the Holarctic Kingdom since the
TertiaryThe Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
.
According to Ronald Good, about 50 genera of vascular plants are common in the Antarctic plant kingdom, including
NothofagusNothofagus, also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 35 species of trees and shrubs native to the temperate oceanic to tropical Southern Hemisphere in southern South America and Australasia...
and
DicksoniaDicksonia is a genus of tree ferns in the order Cyatheales. It is regarded as related to Cyathea, but is considered more primitive, dating back at least to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The fossil record includes stems, pinnules, and spores....
. Takhtajan also made note of hundreds of other vascular plant genera scattered about and isolated on islands of the Southern Ocean, including
Calandrinia feltonii of the Falkland Islands,
Pringlea antiscorbutica of the Kerguelen Islands, and the
megaherbMegaherbs are a group of herbaceous perennial wildflowers growing in the New Zealand sub-antarctic islands. They are characterised by their great size, with huge leaves and very large and often unusually-coloured flowers, which have evolved as an adaptation to the harsh weather conditions on the...
genera of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands.
According to Takhtajan, 11
familiesIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
are endemic to this kingdom: Lactoridaceae, Gomortegaceae, Hectorellaceae,
HalophytaceaeHalophytum ameghinoi is a species of herbaceous plant endemic to Patagonia. It is a succulent annual plant, with simple, fleshy, alternate leaves. The plants are monoecious, with solitary female flowers and inflorescences of male flowers on the same plant .Halophytum has sometimes been placed...
,
FrancoaceaeThe Francoaceae are a small family of plants, including the genus Francoa, commonly known as Bridal Wreaths. There are two genera, each with a single species....
, Aextoxicaceae, Tribelaceae, Griseliniaceae,
MisodendraceaeMisodendron is a genus of hemiparasites which grow as mistletoes on various species of Nothofagus. The twelve species are all restricted to South America.Misodendron is placed in its own family, Misodendraceae, in the order Santalales...
,
AlseuosmiaceaeAlseuosmiaceae is a plant family of the order Asterales, found in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand.They are shrubs with simple, alternate leaves, spiral or whorled, with entire or dentate margins. The solitary flowers are terminal or axillary, or aggregated in fascicles and rarely in...
and Donatiaceae.
Subdivisions
The Antarctic floristic kingdom is subdivided into four floristic regions, and subdivided even further into sixteen
floristic provinceA phytochorion, in phytogeography, is a geographic area with a relatively uniform composition of plant species. Adjacent phytochoria do not usually have a sharp boundary, but rather a soft one, a transitional area in which many species from both regions overlap...
s. Most of the provinces lie within, or very near the
Antarctic convergenceThe Antarctic Convergence is a curve continuously encircling Antarctica where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet the relatively warmer waters of the subantarctic. Antarctic waters predominantly sink beneath subantarctic waters, while associated zones of mixing and upwelling create a zone...
zone.
Fernandezian Region
(often included within the Neotropical Kingdom) Endemic family: Lactoridaceae; endemic genera: 20, including
ThyrsopterisThyrsopteris is a predominant plant genus in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. It is a tree fern genus with a single species, Thyrsopteris elegans, in the family Thyrsopteridaceae....
,
Nothomyrcia,
SelkirkiaSelkirkia is a genus of predatory priapulid worm known from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale. In the Burgess Shale, 20% of the tapering, organic-walled tubes are preserved with the worm inside them, whereas the other 80% are empty...
,
CuminiaCuminia is a genus of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family.It contains the following species:* Cuminia eriantha* Cuminia fernandezia...
,
JuaniaJuania australis, the Chonta Palm, is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family, the only species in the genus Juania. It is a solitary trunked palm tree which is endemic to the Juan Fernández Islands archipielago in the southeast Pacific Ocean west of Chile.This palm is slow growing and...
,
RobinsoniaRobinsonia is a genus of moth in the family Arctiidae. It usually lives on clothes.-References:*...
,
Rhetinodendron,
Symphyochaeta,
CentaurodendronCentaurodendron is a genus of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It contains the following species:* Centaurodendron dracaenoides* Centaurodendron palmiforme...
,
Yunquea,
Hesperogreigia,
PodophorusPodophorus is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family.- External links :*...
,
Pantathera and
MegalachneMegalachne is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family.-External links:*...
. Species endemism of vascular plants is very high (about 70%).
-
- Fernandezian Province
Argentina-Chile-Patagonian Region
Endemic families: Gomortegaceae,
HalophytaceaeHalophytum ameghinoi is a species of herbaceous plant endemic to Patagonia. It is a succulent annual plant, with simple, fleshy, alternate leaves. The plants are monoecious, with solitary female flowers and inflorescences of male flowers on the same plant .Halophytum has sometimes been placed...
, Malesherbiaceae, Tribelaceae,
FrancoaceaeThe Francoaceae are a small family of plants, including the genus Francoa, commonly known as Bridal Wreaths. There are two genera, each with a single species....
, Aextoxicaceae,
MisodendraceaeMisodendron is a genus of hemiparasites which grow as mistletoes on various species of Nothofagus. The twelve species are all restricted to South America.Misodendron is placed in its own family, Misodendraceae, in the order Santalales...
, many endemic genera (including
Leptocionium,
SaxegothaeaSaxegothaea is a genus comprising a single species of conifer belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae, its full scientific name is Saxegothaea conspicua, native to southern South America...
,
AustrocedrusAustrocedrus is a genus of conifer belonging to the cypress family Cupressaceae. It has only one species, Austrocedrus chilensis, native to the Valdivian temperate rain forests and the adjacent drier steppe-forests of central-southern Chile and western Argentina from 33°S to 44°S latitude...
,
PilgerodendronPilgerodendron is a genus of conifer belonging to the cypress family Cupressaceae. It has only one species, Pilgerodendron uviferum, and is endemic to the Valdivian temperate rain forests and Magellanic subpolar forests of southern Chile and southwestern Argentina. It grows from 40 to 55°S in...
,
FitzroyaFitzroya is a monotypic genus in the cypress family.-Species:The single living species, Fitzroya cupressoides, is a tall, long-lived conifer native to the Andes mountains of southern Chile and Argentina, where it is an important member of the Valdivian temperate rain forests...
,
Peumus,
BoquilaBoquila is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the Lardizabalaceae family, native to temperate forests of central and southern Chile and Argentina. The sole species is Boquila trifoliata, known as Pilpil, Voqui, Voquicillo, VOoquillo, Voqui blanco in Chile. It bears an edible fruit ....
,
LardizabalaLardizabala is a monotypic genus of flowering plants. These plants are evergreen lianas, native to temperate forests of central and southern Chile....
,
Philippiella,
AustrocactusAustrocactus is a genus of cacti with five species endemic of southern South America, in Argentina and Chile.They have solitary o branched bodies, the ribs may have tubercules and they are not very spiny. The tallest species in this genus is 24 inches. Flowers are pink, red or yellow with a...
,
Holmbergia,
BerberidopsisBerberidopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the small family Berberidopsidaceae. It consists of two species:* Berberidopsis beckleri - montane tape vine, of Australia....
,
Niederleinia,
Lebetanthus,
Ovidia,
QuillajaQuillaja is a genus of flowering plants, the only genus in the family Quillajaceae. It was once thought to be in the rose family, Rosaceae, but recent research shows it belongs in its own family. The inner bark of the soap bark tree contains saponin, which is a natural soap. Members of this...
,
KageneckiaKageneckia is a genus of flowering plant in family Rosaceae.Species include:* Kageneckia angustifolia, D. Don* Kageneckia lanceolata, Ruiz & Pav.* Kageneckia oblonga, Ruiz & Pav....
,
Saxifragella,
ZuccagniaZuccagnia is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae....
,
TepualiaTepualia is a monotypic genus of the myrtle family containing only the species Tepualia stipularis, which is commonly known as tepú, trepú, or tepual. It is an evergreen tree or shrub that can attain a height of about seven metres...
,
Magallana,
Gymnophyton,
Laretia,
Mulinum,
Talguenea,
SchizanthusSchizanthus ,—common names butterfly flower, fringeflower, poor-man's-orchid—is a genus of plants in the Solanaceae family....
,
Melosperma,
Monttea,
Hygea,
MitrariaMitraria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae, comprising the sole species M. coccinea ....
,
Sarmienta,
ChiliotrichumChiliotrichum is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. - Further Reading :*Bonifacino, José Mauricio. 2009. Taxonomic Revision of the Chiliotrichum group sensu stricto Smithsonian Contributions to Botany, no. 92, vi+119 pp. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution...
,
Melalema,
NassauviaNassauvia is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae. It is said to be chocolate scented.It consists of 39 species and is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and the Falkland Islands.- Selected species :...
,
Tetroncium,
Gilliesia,
Leontochir,
Leucocryne,
Schickendantziella,
SolariaSolaria was a fictional human-inhabited planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Robot series.It was the last of fifty Spacer worlds colonized by humans in a first wave of interstellar settlement. Occupied from approximately 4270 AD by inhabitants of the neighboring world Nexon originally for summer...
,
Lapageria,
ConantheraConanthera is a genus of 3-4 species small Chilean bulbous plants with small panicles of blue, purple or white and purple flowers Propagation is by offsets or seed.-External links:*...
,
Tecophilaea,
TapeiniaTapeinia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae. The genus name is derived from the Greek word tapeinos, meaning "low"....
,
FasciculariaFascicularia is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is from the Latin “fasciculus” and “arius”...
,
OrtachneOrtachne is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family.- External links :*...
,
JubaeaJubaea chilensis is the sole extant species in the genus Jubaea in the palm family Arecaceae. It is native to southwestern South America, where it is endemic to a small area of central Chile, between 32°S and 35°S in southern Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Santiago, O'Higgins and northern Maule regions...
) and species.
-
- Northern Chilean Province
- Central Chilean Province
- Argentine Pampas Province
- Patagonian Province
- Tierra del Fuego Province
Neozeylandic Region
Endemic family: Ixerbaceae an endemic monogeneric family of one species,
Ixerba brexioides. The Ixerbaceae is the only endemic New Zealand vascular plant family. 50 endemic genera (including
Loxsoma,
PseudowinteraPseudowintera is a genus of woody evergreen flowering trees and shrubs, part of family Winteraceae. The species of Pseudowintera are native to New Zealand. Winteraceae are magnoliids, associated with the humid Antarctic flora of the southern hemisphere. Horopito can be chewed for a hot, peppery...
,
Hectorella,
EnteleaEntelea arborescens or whau is a species of malvaceous tree endemic to New Zealand. E. arborescens is the only species in the genus Entelea. A shrub or small tree to 6 m with large lime-like leaves giving a tropical appearance, whau grows in low forest along the coast of the North Island and...
,
HoheriaHoheria is a genus of six species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae. All are endemic to New Zealand and the Kermadec Islands. The genus name is a Latinization of the Māori language name, Houhere...
,
CorokiaCorokia is a genus in the Argophyllaceae family comprising about ten species native to New Zealand and one native to Australia. Corokia species are shrubs or small trees with zigzagging branches. In fact, Corokia cotoneaster is commonly known as wire-netting bush. The stems of the shrubs are dark...
,
AlseuosmiaAlseuosmia is a plant genus in the family Alseuosmiaceae. Species members are characteristically small evergreen shrubs. An example occurrence of species representative Alseuosmia macrophylla is in the New Zealand North Island habitat of the Hamilton Ecological District, where Blechnum discolor and...
,
Carmichaelia,
LophomyrtusLophomyrtus is a genus of the myrtle family native to New Zealand. It has two species, both evergreen shrubs or trees, noted for their colorful leaves, which are purple, chocolate, red or bronze-green. There are also a number of cultivars. Planting in full sun aids the leaf color to develop. In...
,
Neomyrtus,
Plectomirtha,
StilbocarpaStilbocarpa is a genus of flowering plant most often placed in the family Araliaceae; it might be closer to the Apiaceae however. It comprises 3 species, two of which are endemic to New Zealand, while one is also found on Australia's subantarctic Macquarie Island....
,
Kirkophytum,
Coxella,
Lignocarpa,
ScandiaScandia was a name used for various uncharted islands in Northern Europe by the first Greek and Roman geographers. The name originated in Greek sources, where it had been used for a long time for different islands in the Mediterranean region...
,
Dactylanthus,
MyosotidiumMyosotidium is a genus of plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae. This genus is represented by the single species Myosotidium hortensia, the Chatham Islands forget-me-not, which is endemic to the Chatham Islands, New Zealand....
,
Parahebe,
Negria,
Rhabdothamnus,
Teucridium,
OreostylidiumOreostylidium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Stylidiaceae with a single species, Oreostylidium subulatum, that is endemic to New Zealand. O. subulatum is a very small plant with small, white flowers. It has a complicated botanical history that has led to a few proposals to move...
,
Pachystegia,
HaastiaHaastia is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae....
,
Leucogenes,
Phormium,
RhopalostylisRhopalostylis is a genus of two species of palms native to the South Pacific. Both are smooth-trunked, with regular ringed scars from fallen leaves. The leaves are 3–5 metres in length, and the leaf bases encircle the trunk.-Distribution:R...
,
LepidorrhachisLepidorrhachis is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the palm family restricted to Lord Howe Island. The genus name for the single, monoecious species, Lepidorrhachis mooreana, comes from two Greek word meaning "scale" and "rachis", and the epithet honors Charles Moore, first director of the...
,
HedyscepeHedyscepe canterburyana, the Big Mountain Palm or Umbrella Palm, is the sole species in the genus Hedescepe of the Arecaceae family. It is endemic to Lord Howe Island, Australia and is threatened by habitat loss. It is a solitary palm with a distinct crownshaft, and bears unisexual flowers of both...
,
HoweaHowea is a genus of two palms, H. belmoreana and H. forsteriana, both endemic to Lord Howe Island, Australia. H. forsteriana in particular is commonly grown as an indoor plant in the Northern Hemisphere, and the two species form the mainstay of the island's palm seed industry and more importantly...
,
Sporadanthus,
AporostylisAporostylis is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.- References :*Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. . Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press....
,
Desmoschoenus), very high species endemism, especially among
PinophytaThe conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
.
-
- Lord Howe Province
- Norfolkian Province
- Kermadecian Province
- Northern Neozeylandic Province
- Central Neozeylandic Province
- Southern Neozeylandic Province
- Chatham Province
- New Zealand Subantarctic Islands Province
External links