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30-448: The medium altitude forest is likely the southernmost patch of subtropical rainforest in Africa. Phytogeographically it is classed as Afromontane forest, but with lowland and Guineo-Congolian elements. It is situated on two hill tops on dolerite -derived soils, and Müller (1991) proposed that these soil types determine its extent. Goldsmith (1876) however suggested that it is only a relic of

60-489: A focus to botanist for its rich biota as it holds the record for the earliest known angiosperm megafossil. Teclea nobilis Vepris nobilis (syn. Teclea nobilis ) is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae , native to the Arabian Peninsula and eastern Africa. A tree, chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) use its leaves to repel the mosquito Anopheles gambiae . This Rutaceae article

90-716: A globally threatened monotypic genus, stripe-cheeked greenbul ( A. m. disjunctus ), moustached warbler ( M. m. orientalis ), white-tailed flycatcher and yellow-bellied waxbill . Wide-ranging African species include crowned eagle , trumpeter and silvery-cheeked hornbills , both breeders, Livingstone's turaco , lemon dove , green pigeon , owls, nightjars , bee-eaters , pygmy kingfisher , yellow-streaked ( P. f. dendrophilus ) and sombre greenbuls , yellow-throated ( S. r. alacris ), Barratt's ( B. b. priesti ) and broad-tailed warblers , olive and black-fronted bushshrikes , Cape batis , sunbirds and firefinches . Various bird races were first described from this location:

120-549: A good representation of mammal and bird frugivores , which impact both negatively and positively on seed dispersal. Much of the fauna shows affinities to forests elsewhere, particularly those at lower altitudes along the East Africa coastal plains . Protection from fires is expected to facilitate the regeneration and expansion of the forest. During his time of residence, Swynnerton noted that recurring fires had been gradually reducing outlying forest patches. Destruction of portions of

150-434: A once much larger forest which has been reduced by gradual climatic changes in a few hundred years. Year-round moisture, in the form of rain, mist or dew, provides for a substantial and intact moist leaf litter layer, on which its ecological processes depend. Decomposition is fungal, and not by termites or similar insects as would be the case in drier woodlands of the region. Several tree species bear fleshy fruit, resulting in

180-718: A strikingly coloured race of red-necked spurfowl ( P. a. swynnertoni ), a fulvous-coloured race of wailing cisticola ( C. l. mashona ), a race of bar-throated apalis ( A. t. arnoldi ), the smallish, dusky and streaky-throated Swynnerton's thrush ( T. o. swynnertoni ) which is endemic to the Eastern Highlands , and a race of olive sunbird ( C. o. sclateri ). The forest is situated too low for orange thrush , Roberts's warbler , malachite or bronze sunbirds , and too high for yellow-spotted nicator , white-eared barbet or grey waxbill . Crested guineafowl however inhabits its lower elevations and green malkoha recently populated

210-693: A trunk diameter of about 6 metres. Other forest tree species include colossal specimens of strangling figs, brown mahogany , white stinkwood , forest climbing acacia , ironwood , giant diospyros , apricot vine , forest peach , forest rothmannia , strombosia and forest toad-tree . The forest edge is characterized by smooth-barked flat-crown , forest num-num , forest sword-leaf , horsewood , forest croton , climbing turkey-berry , Manica bride's bush , green flower tree , small-fruited teclea , elbow-leaf , mitzeerie , eastern blue-bush , magic guarri , orange-milk tree , lavender tree , mobola plum , wild currant and climbing orange are common species of

240-407: Is concerned with animal distribution rather than plant distribution. The term phytogeography itself suggests a broad meaning. How the term is actually applied by practicing scientists is apparent in the way periodicals use the term. The American Journal of Botany , a monthly primary research journal, frequently publishes a section titled "Systematics, Phytogeography, and Evolution." Topics covered in

270-423: Is concerned with the geographic distribution of plant species and their influence on the earth's surface. Phytogeography is concerned with all aspects of plant distribution, from the controls on the distribution of individual species ranges (at both large and small scales, see species distribution ) to the factors that govern the composition of entire communities and floras . Geobotany , by contrast, focuses on

300-402: Is divided into floristic region, each region associated with a distinctive flora. Phytogeography has a long history. One of the subjects earliest proponents was Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt , who is often referred to as the "father of phytogeography". Von Humboldt advocated a quantitative approach to phytogeography that has characterized modern plant geography. Gross patterns of

330-401: Is grouped based on similar environmental factors. A population is the collection of all interacting individuals of a given species, in an area. An area is the entire location where a species, an element or an entire flora can occur. Aerography studies the description of that area, chorology studies their development. The local distribution within the area as a whole, as that of a swamp shrub, is

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360-532: Is named for the forest, but it is in fact a widespread species. Its type was obtained at an unknown location in the Eastern Highlands, and it is distinguished from the previous species by its lighter upperside ground colour, and the contrasting hair-pencils of the male. The well-marked route to the campsite leaves the main road just east of the mission hospital in Mount Selinda . It is located 4 km into

390-472: The American Journal of Botany' s "Systematics and Phytogeography" section include phylogeography , distribution of genetic variation and, historical biogeography , and general plant species distribution patterns. Biodiversity patterns are not heavily covered. A flora is the group of all plant species in a specific period of time or area, in which each species is independent in abundance and relationships to

420-482: The Chipete and Chipungambira satellite forest patches occurred during the 1860s. It may have been aided by elephants which opened up forest, but more likely resulted from indigenous people who regularly cleared land by fire in spring time. Fire-resistant mobola plum and mahobohobo trees are pioneer species in such areas. Maupare (1993) however noted that the forest boundary was stable and that former logging operations in

450-553: The United States Congress passed an act that appropriated funds to send expeditions to discover the geographic distributions of plants (and animals) in the United States. The first of these was The Death Valley Expedition , including Frederick Vernon Coville , Frederick Funston , Clinton Hart Merriam , and others. Research in plant geography has also been directed to understanding the patterns of adaptation of species to

480-425: The distribution of plants became apparent early on in the study of plant geography. For example, Alfred Russel Wallace , co-discoverer of the principle of natural selection, discussed the latitudinal gradients in species diversity , a pattern observed in other organisms as well. Much research effort in plant geography has since then been devoted to understanding this pattern and describing it in more detail. In 1890,

510-405: The environment. This is done chiefly by describing geographical patterns of trait/environment relationships. These patterns termed ecogeographical rules when applied to plants represent another area of phytogeography. Floristics is a study of the flora of some territory or area. Traditional phytogeography concerns itself largely with floristics and floristic classification,. China has been

540-407: The focused aspect, environment, flora ( taxa ), vegetation ( plant community ) and origin, respectively: Phytogeography is often divided into two main branches: ecological phytogeography and historical phytogeography . The former investigates the role of current day biotic and abiotic interactions in influencing plant distributions; the latter are concerned with historical reconstruction of

570-454: The forest and along its margins. The type species C. swynnertoni of the worm lizard genus Chirindia was described from this locality, while another worm lizard, Zygaspis ferox , is endemic to the forest and its vicinity. The types of Broadley's forest treefrog , Hewitt's long-nosed frog and the Chirinda toad were obtained in the forest. The Chirinda toad is known from Chirinda and

600-401: The forest from lower altitudes. Blue-mantled flycatchers occupy the lower altitudes or fringing thickets, but remain segregated from white-tailed flycatchers which occupy the forest proper or higher canopy. The reptile fauna includes pythons, cobras, vipers, mambas, adders, chameleons, geckos, skinks and lizards. Marshall's leaf chameleon , an endemic of the Eastern Highlands, is found within

630-467: The forest north of Dombé in adjacent Mozambique. It is a terrestrial species that lives on leaf-litter, and takes refuge under rotten logs. The Mount Selinda acraea mimic butterfly ( Mimacraea neokoton ) is found nowhere else. The type of the ebony bush brown was obtained from Chirinda forest, and it is also known from the Vumba . It flies all year and has distinct seasonal forms. The Chirinda bush brown

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660-411: The forest, and also has chalets with clean facilities and braai stands. Download coordinates as: [REDACTED] Media related to Chirinda Forest Botanical Reserve at Wikimedia Commons Phytogeography Phytogeography (from Greek φυτόν, phytón = "plant" and γεωγραφία, geographía = "geography" meaning also distribution) or botanical geography is the branch of biogeography that

690-496: The geographic space's influence on plants. Phytogeography is part of a more general science known as biogeography . Phytogeographers are concerned with patterns and process in plant distribution. Most of the major questions and kinds of approaches taken to answer such questions are held in common between phyto- and zoogeographers. Phytogeography in wider sense (or geobotany, in German literature) encompasses four fields, according with

720-596: The latter species was obtained in the forest by Swynnerton. The dominant canopy species, besides fluted milkwood, are forest mahogany and peawood . The sub-canopy is occupied by tannodia , forest strychnos and forest ironplum . The Big Tree grows in the southern part of the reserve in the "Valley of the Giants". It is the largest red mahogany tree in southern Africa and the tallest native tree in Zimbabwe . The 600- to 1,000-year-old (some estimate 2,000-year-old) leviathan has

750-567: The northern section had no lasting effect on the plant diversity. This extraction of red mahogany , peawood and tannodia during the 1940s also had little effect on its extent. The area is home to a high diversity of plants, fungi, birds, butterflies, insects and reptiles. Rare tree species which seldom occur elsewhere in Zimbabwe include the fluted milkwood (dominant canopy species), Chirinda fig , undershrub big-leaf , Chirinda stinkwood , yellow bitterberry and forest strychnos . The type of

780-456: The odd occasion. The local races of the mutable sun squirrel ( H. m. chirindensis ) and red-bellied coast squirrel (i.e. Selinda mountain squirrel, P. p. swynnertoni ) are mountain isolates. The Selinda veld rat occurs in tangled vegetation on rocky areas, and is only known from two other sites in Zimbabwe. A few highland bird species reach their southernmost occurrence here, namely the Chirinda apalis (type locality), Swynnerton's robin ,

810-448: The origin, dispersal, and extinction of taxa. The basic data elements of phytogeography are occurrence records (presence or absence of a species) with operational geographic units such as political units or geographical coordinates. These data are often used to construct phytogeographic provinces ( floristic provinces ) and elements. The questions and approaches in phytogeography are largely shared with zoogeography , except zoogeography

840-428: The other species. The group or the flora can be assembled in accordance with floral element, which are based on common features. A flora element can be a genetic element, in which the group of species share similar genetic information i.e. common evolutionary origin; a migration element has a common route of access into a habitat; a historical element is similar to each other in certain past events and an ecological element

870-404: The surrounding savannah. Thousands of specimens of the yucca-like Dracaena fragrans populate the forest floor, and numerous ferns, creepers, vines, epiphytes and orchids (including Calanthe sylvatica ) are to be found. Montbretia and flame lilies are also present, while guava , lantana and ginger are exotic invasive species . Samango monkeys are regularly seen, and leopard on

900-535: The topography of that area. Areas are an important factor is forming an image about how species interaction result in their geography. The nature of an area’s margin, their continuity, their general shape and size relative to other areas, make the study of area crucial in identifying these types of information. For example, a relict area is an area surviving from an earlier and more exclusive occurrence. Mutually exclusive plants are called vicarious (areas containing such plants are also called vicarious). The earth’s surface

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