XVI International Botanical Congess

Inselbergs consist of Precambrian rocks and form old, island-like landscape fragments. Characterized by harsh conditions, their vegetation is different from that of surroundings. In being geologically uniform they bear a vegetation whose composition and diversity is determined by regional climate, history and local dynamics. On both tropical and temperate inselbergs, a typical set of habitats occurs. Globally c. 3500 angiosperm species grow on inselbergs. Certain families are characterized by high percentages of inselberg specialists, e.g., Velloziaceae (c. 24% of all) and Lentibulariaceae (c. 16%). Floristically there are large differences in species richness and the number of endemics between separate regions, but there is no clear trend of increasing diversity from temperate regions towards the tropics.