Summary
Included here is the coastal belt and escarpment mountains south of the Namib which forms a wedge of rugged country between Namid and Namaland stretching from the Richterveld northwards to the vicinity of Aus. The so-called Little Karoo lying between the Cape mountain ridges, the Langeberg, and the Swartberg ranges, is also included.
Of the rich endemic and near endemic vascular plants so far recorded for this zone are 2096 species in 350 genera and 60 families. Among these are 9 endemic genera (shown in red) but none of the plant families are endemic. However, Panaeaceae is endemic to South Africa, Didiereaceae is mainly endemic the Madagascar, Hydnoraceae is mainly confined to Africa, Saudi Arabia and Madagascar, with just two species in Central and South America, and Tecophilaeaceae is confined to South and North America and Africa. The most extensive family is Aizoaceae with over 1000 endemic taxa. In fact, this zone is the world's centre of distribution for this family.
References
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Desmet, P. G. & Cowling, R. M. 1999. Biodiversity, habitat and range-size aspects of a flora from a winter-rainfall desert in north-western Namaqualand, South Africa. Plant Ecology, 142: 23-33.
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