Neotropical kingdom

Essentially the Neotropical kingdom covers all but the extreme southern tip and southwestern strip of South America; Central America; Mexico, excluding the dry north and centre; and beyond to the West Indies and the southern tip of Florida (Figure 1). The vegetation ranges from tropical rainforest in the Amazon and Orinoco basins to open savanna in Venezuela (the Llanos) and Argentina (the Pampas). Forty-seven families and nearly 3,000 genera of flowering plants are endemic to this kingdom; some families, including Bromeliaceae (pineapple) and Cactaceae (cactus), are virtually confined to this kingdom. Within the kingdom, Central America, which includes Mexico and the isthmus, the West Indies, the Venezuela-Guyana region, Brazil, the Andes, and the Pampas all have some measure of endemicity. Although impoverished, the Juan Fernández Islands and the Desventurados Islands, located off the west coast of Chile, exhibit a high endemicity with a general Neotropical affinity.

South African kingdom

The South African, or Capensic, kingdom (Figure 1) consists of the southern and southwestern tip of Africa, the area around the Cape of Good Hope (hence, the designation “Capensic”). It is remarkably rich in plants; 11 families and 500 genera are endemic. This is the smallest of the phytogeographic kingdoms. The winter rainfall climatic regime mimics that of the Mediterranean region, and the general aspect of the vegetation is akin to the scrubland vegetation (maquis) of that region. At the edges of this tiny, restricted zone, the flora merges into the typical flora of Africa—Paleotropical.

Australian kingdom

The continent of Australia forms a kingdom sharply distinct from the Paleotropic (Figure 1). Rainforest biomes—from tropical in the north that include monsoon forests to temperate in the far south, especially Tasmania—occur along the eastern seaboard. Woodlands of Eucalyptus cover much of the eastern third of the continent, and a mosaic of remarkable temperate forests and Banksia heathland are found in the southwest. (These two elements of Australian flora, while conspicuous, are not endemic; there are a few species of Eucalyptus in eastern New Guinea, New Britain, the Lesser Sundas, and the Philippines, and one species of Banksia is found in New Guinea.) Otherwise much of the vegetation is semiarid or adapted to the dryness. About 19 families and 500 genera are endemic. Only the tropical rainforests of northeastern Queensland have a mixed flora, with a notable Malesian element.

Antarctic kingdom

This kingdom includes the southern tip of South America, extending some distance north along the Chilean coast; New Zealand; and the Antarctic and subantarctic islands (Figure 1). Antarctic and Paleotropical flora occur in an interesting and interdigitating pattern in South Island of New Zealand, Tasmania, and the Australian Alps. According to Good, about 50 genera are common in this kingdom.