A 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. The region of overlap is called a vegetation tension zone.

Contents 1 Explanation 2 Floristic kingdoms 3 Takhtajan's floristic provinces 3.1 Holarctic Kingdom 3.1.1 I. Circumboreal Region 3.1.2 II. Eastern Asiatic Region 3.1.3 III. North American Atlantic Region 3.1.4 IV. Rocky Mountain Region 3.1.5 V. Macaronesian Region 3.1.6 VI. Mediterranean Region 3.1.7 VII. Saharo-Arabian Region 3.1.8 VIII. Irano-Turanian Region 3.1.9 IX. Madrean Region 3.2 Paleotropical Kingdom 3.2.1 X. Guineo-Congolian Region 3.2.2 XI. Usambara-Zululand Region 3.2.3 XII. Sudano-Zambezian Region 3.2.4 XIII. Karoo-Namib Region 3.2.5 XIV. St.Helena and Ascension Region 3.2.6 XV. Madagascan Region 3.2.7 XVI. Indian Region 3.2.8 XVII. Indochinese Region 3.2.9 XVIII. Malesian Region 3.2.10 XIX. Fijian Region 3.2.11 XX. Polynesian Region 3.2.12 XXI. Hawaiian Region 3.2.13 XXII. Neocaledonian Region 3.3 Neotropical Kingdom 3.3.1 XXIII. Caribbean Region 3.3.2 XXIV. Region of the Guayana Highlands 3.3.3 XXV. Amazonian Region 3.3.4 XXVI. Brazilian Region 3.3.5 XXVII. Andean Region 3.4 South African Kingdom 3.4.1 XXVIII. Cape Region 3.5 Australian Kingdom 3.5.1 XXIX. Northeast Australian Region 3.5.2 XXX. Southwest Australian Region 3.5.3 XXXI. Central Australian or Eremaean Region 3.6 Antarctic Kingdom 3.6.1 XXXII. Fernandezian Region 3.6.2 XXXIII. Chile-Patagonian Region 3.6.3 XXXIV. Region of the South Subantarctic Islands 3.6.4 XXXV. Neozeylandic Region 4 References

[edit] Explanation

Several systems of classifying geographic areas where plants grow have been devised. Most systems are organized hierarchically, with the largest units subdivided into smaller geographic areas, which are made up of smaller floristic communities, and so on. Phtyochoria are defined as areas possessing a large number of endemic taxons. Floristic kingdoms are characterized by a high degree of family endemism, floristic regions – by a high degree of generic endemism, floristic provinces – by a high degree of species endemism. Systems of phytochoria have both significant similarities and differences with zoogeographic provinces, which follow the composition of mammal families, and with biogeographical provinces or terrestrial ecoregions, which take into account both plant and animal species.

The term phytochorion is especially associated with the classifications according to the methodology of Josias Braun-Blanquet , which is tied to the presence or absence of particular species.^[1]

Taxonomic databases tend to be organized in ways which approximate floristic provinces, but which are more closely aligned to political boundaries, for example according to the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions.

[edit] Floristic kingdoms

Botanist Ronald Good identified six floristic kingdoms (Boreal or Holarctic, Neotropical, Paleotropical, South African, Australian, and Antarctic), the largest natural units he determined for flowering plants. Good's six kingdoms are subdivided into smaller units, called provinces. The Paleotropical kingdom is divided into three subkingdoms, which are each subdivided into floristic provinces. Each of the other five kingdoms are subdivided directly into provinces. There are a total of 37 floristic regions. Almost all regions are further subdivided into floristic provinces.

Armen Takhtajan, in a widely used scheme that builds on Good's work, identified thirty-five floristic regions, each of which is subdivided into floristic provinces, of which there are 152 in all.

[edit] Takhtajan's floristic provinces

v • d • e Floristic regions of the world Holarctic Kingdom Circumboreal · Eastern Asiatic · North American Atlantic · Rocky Mountain · Macaronesian · Mediterranean · Saharo-Arabian · Irano-Turanian · Madrean Paleotropical Kingdom Guineo-Congolian · Usambara-Zululand · Sudano-Zambezian · Karoo-Namib · St. Helena and Ascension · Madagascan · Indian · Indochinese · Malesian · Fijian · Polynesian · Hawaiian · Neocaledonian Neotropical Kingdom Caribbean · Guayana Highlands · Amazonian · Brazilian · Andean South African Kingdom Cape Australian Kingdom Northeast Australian · Southwest Australian · Central Australian Antarctic Kingdom Fernandezian · Chile-Patagonian · South Subantarctic Islands · Neozeylandic

[edit] Holarctic Kingdom

[edit] I. Circumboreal Region

1 Arctic

2 Atlantic Europe

3 Central Europe

4 Illyria or Balkan

5 Pontus Euxinus

6 Caucasus

7 Eastern Europe

8 Northern Europe

9 Western Siberia

10 Altai-Sayan

11 Central Siberia

12 Transbaikalia

13 Northeastern Siberia

14 Okhotsk-Kamchatka

15 Canada incl. Great Lakes

[edit] II. Eastern Asiatic Region

16 Manchuria

17 Sakhalin-Hokkaidō

18 Japan-Korea

19 Volcano-Bonin

20 Ryūkyū or Tokara-Okinawa

21 Taiwan

22 Northern China

23 Central China

24 Southeastern China

25 Sikang-Yuennan

26 Northern Burma

27 Eastern Himalaya

28 Khasi-Manipur

[edit] III. North American Atlantic Region

29 Appalachian Province (forested areas extending east to include the piedmont and west to the start of the prairies)

30 Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain

31 North American Prairies

[edit] IV. Rocky Mountain Region

32 Vancouver

33 Rocky Mountains

[edit] V. Macaronesian Region

34 Azores

35 Madeira

36 Canaries

37 Cape Verde

[edit] VI. Mediterranean Region

38 Southern Morocco

39 Southwestern Mediterranean

40 South Mediterranean

41 Iberia

42 Baleares

43 Liguria-Tyrrhenia

44 Adriatic

45 East Mediterranean

46 Crimea-Novorossijsk

[edit] VII. Saharo-Arabian Region

47 Sahara

48 Egypt-Arabia

[edit] VIII. Irano-Turanian Region

49 Mesopotamia

50 Central Anatolia

51 Armenia-Iran

52 Hyrcania

53 Turania or Aralo-Caspia

54 Turkestan

55 Northern Baluchistan

56 Western Himalaya

57 Central Tien Shan

58 Dzungaria-Tien Shan

59 Mongolia

60 Tibet

[edit] IX. Madrean Region

61 Great Basin

62 California

63 Sonora

64 Mexican Highlands

[edit] Paleotropical Kingdom

[edit] X. Guineo-Congolian Region

65 Upper Guinea

66 Nigeria-Cameroon

67 Congo

[edit] XI. Usambara-Zululand Region

68 Zanzibar-Inhambane

69 Tongoland-Pondoland

[edit] XII. Sudano-Zambezian Region

70 Zambezi

71 Sahel

72 Sudan

73 Somalia-Ethiopia

74 South Arabia

75 Socotra

76 Oman

77 South Iran

78 Sindia

[edit] XIII. Karoo-Namib Region

79 Namibia

80 Namaland

81 Western Cape

82 Karoo

[edit] XIV. St.Helena and Ascension Region

83 St. Helena and Ascension

[edit] XV. Madagascan Region

84 Eastern Madagascar

85 Western Madagascar

86 Southern and Southwestern Madagascar

87 Comoro

88 Mascarenes

89 Seychelles

[edit] XVI. Indian Region

90 Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

91 Malabar

92 Deccan

93 Upper Gangetic Plain

94 Bengal

[edit] XVII. Indochinese Region

95 South Burma

96 Andamans

97 South China

98 Thailand

99 North Indochina

100 Annam

101 South Indochina

[edit] XVIII. Malesian Region

102 Malaya

103 Borneo

104 Philippines

105 Sumatra

106 South Malesia

107 Celebes

108 Moluccas and West New Guinea

109 Papua

110 Bismarck Archipelago

[edit] XIX. Fijian Region

111 New Hebrides

112 Fiji

[edit] XX. Polynesian Region

113 Micronesia

114 Polynesia

[edit] XXI. Hawaiian Region

115 Hawaii

[edit] XXII. Neocaledonian Region

116 New Caledonia

[edit] Neotropical Kingdom

[edit] XXIII. Caribbean Region

117 Central America

118 West Indies

119 Galápagos Islands

[edit] XXIV. Region of the Guayana Highlands

120 Guayana

[edit] XXV. Amazonian Region

121 Amazonia

122 Llanos

[edit] XXVI. Brazilian Region

123 Caatinga

124 Central Brazilian Uplands

125 Chaco

126 Atlantic Brazil

127 Parana

[edit] XXVII. Andean Region

128 Northern Andes

129 Central Andes

[edit] South African Kingdom

[edit] XXVIII. Cape Region

130 Cape Province

[edit] Australian Kingdom

[edit] XXIX. Northeast Australian Region

131 North Australia

132 Queensland

133 Southeast Australia

134 Tasmania

[edit] XXX. Southwest Australian Region

135 Southwest Australia

[edit] XXXI. Central Australian or Eremaean Region

136 Eremaea

[edit] Antarctic Kingdom

[edit] XXXII. Fernandezian Region

137 Juan Fernández

[edit] XXXIII. Chile-Patagonian Region

138 Northern Chile

139 Central Chile

140 Pampas

141 Patagonia

142 Tierra del Fuego

[edit] XXXIV. Region of the South Subantarctic Islands

143 Tristan-Gough

144 Kerguelen

[edit] XXXV. Neozeylandic Region

145 Lord Howe

146 Norfolk

147 Kermadec

148 Northern New Zealand

149 Central New Zealand

150 Southern New Zealand

151 Chatham

152 New Zealand Subantarctic Islands

[edit] References

1. ^ glossary from Edited by A. Barrie Low and A. (Tony) G. Rebelo from contributions by George J. Bredenkamp, J. Ed Granger, M. Timm Hoffman, Roy A. Lubke, Bruce Mckenzie, A. (Tony) Rebelo, & Noel van Rooyen (February 1998). Vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland: A companion to the Vegetation Map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Pretoria. 

• Good, Ronald, 1947. The Geography of Flowering Plants. Longmans, Green and Co, New York

• Takhtajan, Armen, 1986. Floristic Regions of the World. (translated by T.J. Crovello & A. Cronquist). University of California Press, Berkeley.