Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Original Research
The historical phytogeography of the Disinae (Orchidaceae)
Submitted: 03 November 1983 | Published: 06 November 1983
About the author(s)
H. P. Linder, Botanical Research Institute, Department of Agriculture, South AfricaFull Text:
PDF (1MB)Abstract
The Disinae (Orchidaceae) are widespread in tropical montane Africa and the Cape temperate region, therefore showing a distribution range typical of a temperate herb in Africa. Centres of endemism and high species richness are recognized in the southern and western Cape Province, the Natal-Transvaal escarpment mountains, the watershed between the Rivers Zaire and Zambesi and the southern highlands of Tanzania, the East African highlands and Madagascar. The number of species and their degree of endemism decrease from south to north. Several regions, e.g. Zimbabwe and West Africa, are outliers of other regions, or overlap zones between regions.
An attempt is made to determine the history of the group by vicariance biogeographical analysis, but the resultant area cladogram is uninformative. This may be due to the vagility of the taxa.Areas of endemism of supra-specific taxa are determined. These areas appear on recent palaeoenvironmental data to be possible refugia (Cape fold mountains, the South African Drakensberg and the East African Rift Valley mountains), from where the taxa spread when the climate ameliorated after the last glacial. This model is corroborated by recent studies on Cupressaceae, Pooidae and Compositae.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 2662Total article views: 2165
Crossref Citations
1. A new species of Disa (Orchidaceae) from Mpumalanga, South Africa
D. McMurtry, T.J. Edwards, B. Bytebier
South African Journal of Botany vol: 72 issue: 4 first page: 551 year: 2006
doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2006.03.013
2. The Southern African orchid flora: composition, sources and endemism
H. P. Linder, H. Kurzweil, S. D. Johnson
Journal of Biogeography vol: 32 issue: 1 first page: 29 year: 2005
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2004.01202.x
3. Investigating biogeographical patterns: Small steps between the obvious and the obscure
J. C. POYNTON
The Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa vol: 43 issue: 1 first page: 1 year: 1994
doi: 10.1080/04416651.1994.9650375
4. Species diversity and advancement of Swertia (Gentianaceae): Ecological and morphological correlates
S. Mészáros, M. Höhn
Acta Botanica Hungarica vol: 44 issue: 3-4 first page: 317 year: 2002
doi: 10.1556/ABot.44.2002.3-4.9
5. Exploring the Afromontane centre of endemism: Kniphofia Moench (Asphodelaceae) as a floristic indicator
Syd Ramdhani, Nigel P. Barker, Himansu Baijnath
Journal of Biogeography vol: 35 issue: 12 first page: 2258 year: 2008
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2008.01982.x
6. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The Greater Cape Floristic Region
J. Born, H. P. Linder, P. Desmet
Journal of Biogeography vol: 34 issue: 1 first page: 147 year: 2007
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2006.01595.x
7. Plant diversity and endemism in sub‐Saharan tropical Africa
H. P. Linder
Journal of Biogeography vol: 28 issue: 2 first page: 169 year: 2001
doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2699.2001.00527.x
8. The radiation of the Cape flora, southern Africa
H. P. LINDER
Biological Reviews vol: 78 issue: 4 first page: 597 year: 2003
doi: 10.1017/S1464793103006171
9. The phylogeny and evolution of thePterygodium?Corycium complex (Coryciinae, Orchidaceae)
H. Kurzweil, H. P. Linder, P. Chesselet
Plant Systematics and Evolution vol: 175 issue: 3-4 first page: 161 year: 1991
doi: 10.1007/BF00937844
10. Modelling potential Pleistocene habitat corridors between Afromontane forest regions
Kaitlin E. Allen, Walter P. Tapondjou, Benedictus Freeman, Jacob C. Cooper, Rafe M. Brown, A. Townsend Peterson
Biodiversity and Conservation vol: 30 issue: 8-9 first page: 2361 year: 2021
doi: 10.1007/s10531-021-02198-4
11. The causes of southern African spatial patterns in species richness: speciation, extinction and dispersal in the Danthonioideae (Poaceae)
H. Peter Linder, Yanis Bouchenak‐Khelladi, James Richardson
Journal of Biogeography vol: 42 issue: 5 first page: 914 year: 2015
doi: 10.1111/jbi.12474