Sclerophyll facts for kids

Fynbos in South Africa

Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation which has hard leaves and short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem). The word comes from the Greek sclero (hard) and phyllon (leaf).

Sclerophyllous plants occur in many parts of the world. They are shaped by a Mediterranean climate, with mild, wet winters and long hot dry summers. Wildfires often occur. These conditions feature summer drought-tolerant plants with hard sclerophyllous evergreen leaves,

This kind of climate occurs in:

1. The Americas, in the chaparral biomes
   1. Californian woodlands
   2. Chilean Matorral
2. Australia, this type of biome occurs throughout western (Perth), eastern (Sydney) and southern (Adelaide) areas.
3. Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome that cover the Mediterranean Basin
4. Cape Province of South Africa.

Images for kids

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  Chaparral vegetation in Southern California

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  The hard leaves of a Banksia integrifolia (notice the short internodes)

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  Sclerophyllous woodland in Spain

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  Sclerophyll woodland in Tuscany, Italy

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  A sclerophyll bushland in Sydney (which falls in the humid subtropical zone)

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  Sclerophyll shrubland in southwestern Madagascar

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  Bush around Eagle Bay, Western Australia

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  Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) in a sclerophyll woodland, Melbourne (Cfb climate)

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  Sclerophyll vegetation on Mount Meron in Israel

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  Hard-leaved vegetation in the High Atlas mountains, Morocco

See also

In Spanish: Esclerófilo para niños