Flora
The title of this article is ambiguous. For other meanings, see Flora (disambiguation).
Flora (also flora) is the inventory of plant families (e.g. families, genera, species and subspecies) of a certain region or the systematic description of their entirety (cf., in contrast, vegetation). Directories in which the flora of an area is listed, often with an identification key and illustrations, are also called flora. This meaning probably arose secondarily from the meaning "flora of a certain region".
The name Flora is derived from the Latin name Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and youth. At least since the end of the 16th century, this goddess has been used metonymically, first in poetry and later in other texts, for the plant world of a particular region. The plant world is contrasted with the animal world - the fauna - named after the Roman goddess Fauna. Flora also generally refers to organisms with autotrophic nutrition.
A floral kingdom is that large area which is characterized by an independent vegetation character and an independent evolutionary history (phylogenesis) of the local flora and thus also harbours plant species and higher plant taxa which do not occur in any other area (endemics). Associated species represent a floral element - this can refer to a large-scale floral kingdom or only to a sub-area - a floral zone (vegetation zone).
The fact that bacteria were formerly assigned to the plant systematics has been preserved in the designation "bacterial flora" (as the totality of all bacteria colonizing a particular habitat).
Fungi were also assigned to the plant kingdom for a long time. In 1969, Robert Whittaker granted them their own kingdom, the regnum "Fungi". However, the designation "Funga" instead of "Fungal Flora" has not (yet) finally prevailed.
Simplified diagram of the flora of an island with all its plant species
See also
- Alpine flora
Questions and Answers
Q: What is the meaning of flora in botany?
A: In botany, flora has two meanings. The first refers to Flowers, Flower Goddess and plant life in an area or time period (especially the naturally occurring or indigenous plant life). The second meaning refers to a book or other work which describes the plant species in an area or time period, with the aim of allowing identification.
Q: Where does the term "flora" come from?
A: The term flora comes from the Latin language. Flora was the goddess of flowers in Roman mythology.
Q: How are plants grouped into floras?
A: Plants are grouped into floras based on region, period, special environment, or climate. Regions can be geographically distinct habitats like mountain vs. flatland and eras can be historic as in fossil flora.
Q: Are bacterial organisms sometimes included in a flora?
A: Yes, bacterial organisms are sometimes included in a flora [1] Archived 2006-04-30 at the Wayback Machine [2] Archived 2007-07-15 at the Wayback Machine. Other times, however, they may be referred to separately as bacterial flora and plant flora.
Q: What is fauna?
A: Fauna is the corresponding term for animal life when referring to botany and its study of plant life within an area or time period.
Q: What type of habitats can be used when grouping plants into floras?
A: When grouping plants into floras they can be classified according to region (geographically distinct habitats such as mountain vs flatland), period (historic era such as fossil flora), special environment or climate.
