Floriculture industry benefits from southern African floral biodiversity
2018
Reinten, E. | Van Wyk, B. E.
The flora of southern Africa is widely recognised as an international hotspot of botanical diversity. The unique fynbos floral kingdom alone consists of 8,600 species, while an estimated 22,800 species from 220 flowering plant families of the southern Africa flora represent 10% of the worlds' plants. The contribution of the southern Africa indigenous flora to the international floriculture trade is mostly associated with Freesias, Gerbera, Gladioli, Nerine, Protea, Leucospermum, Leucadendron, Zanthedeschia, Agapanthus, Lachenalia, Ericas, Strelitzias and Ornithogalum. On the Flora Holland auctions in 2009/2012/2015, sale rankings for gerbera and freesia were 4/5/5 and 6/8/9 respectively, in cut flower turnover, while Kalanchoe ranked second for indoor plants. Pelargonium ranked 4/5 (2012/2015) and Osteospermum ranked 6/9 (2012/2015) for garden plants. The potential impact of southern African indigenous plants on world horticulture is enormous. The southern African floral biodiversity provides the availability of plant material for the international floricultural trade.
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