Mediterranean floral region Part of R. Good's (1974, The Geography of the Flowering Plants) Boreal Realm, and geographically a relatively small region, being restricted to Iberia and the Mediterranean coast, but with an important extension northward along the western coast of Europe. The vegetation is specialized, reflecting the distinctive climatic setting, and consequently contains a high proportion of endemics (see endemism). The Mediterranean has been called ‘the cradle of civilization’ and its long association with mankind has yielded many garden, horticultural, and agricultural plants, and has led to extensive and intensive human influence on the natural vegetation. See also floral province and floristic region.

Mediterranean floral region Part of R. Good's (The Geography of the Flowering Plants, 1974) boreal kingdom, and geographically a relatively small region, being restricted to Iberia and the Mediterranean coast, but with an important extension northward along the western coast of Europe. The vegetation is specialized, reflecting the distinctive climatic setting, and consequently contains a high proportion of endemics (see ENDEMISM). The Mediterranean has been called ‘the cradle of civilization’, and its long association with mankind has yielded many garden, horticultural, and agricultural plants. See also FLORAL PROVINCE and FLORISTIC REGION.