Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation which has hard leaves and short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem). The word comes from the Greek sclero (hard) and phyllon (leaf).
Sclerophyllous plants occur in many parts of the world.[1] They are shaped by a Mediterranean climate, with mild, wet winters and long hot dry summers. Wildfires often occur. These conditions feature summer drought-tolerant plants with hard sclerophyllous evergreen leaves,
This kind of climate occurs in:
- The Americas, in the chaparral biomes
- Californian woodlands
- Chilean Matorral
- Australia, this type of biome occurs throughout western (Perth), eastern (Sydney) and southern (Adelaide) areas.[2]
- Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome that cover the Mediterranean Basin
- Cape Province of South Africa.
Sclerophyll Media
Chaparral vegetation in Southern California
The hard leaves of a Banksia integrifolia (notice the short internodes)
Sclerophyllous woodland in Spain
Sclerophyll woodland in Tuscany, Italy
A sclerophyll bushland in Sydney (which falls in the humid subtropical zone)
Sclerophyll shrubland in southwestern Madagascar
Bush around Eagle Bay, Western Australia
Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) in a sclerophyll woodland, Melbourne (Cfb climate)
Sclerophyll vegetation on Mount Meron in Israel
Hard-leaved vegetation in the High Atlas mountains, Morocco
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References
- ↑ Hogan, C. Michael 2010. Leather Oak, Quercus durata. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and Environment. Washington DC
- ↑ "Sydney Coastal Dry Sclerophyll Forests". NSW Environment & Heritage. Retrieved September 17, 2012.