THE MEDITERRANEAN SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE
From blossoming bird of paradise to king protea
In the Mediterranean House you can experience the shapes, colours and scents of plants from regions with a Mediterranean climate. Mediterranean climates are found in five regions spread throughout the world. The areas are characterized by cool, wet winters and crisp, hot summers.
In the Mediterranean House you can see examples of some of the many cultivated and ornamental plants from the Mediterranean area, South Africa and southern Australia. Mediterranean vegetation is also found in California and Chile.
Summer fires and frost-free winters
Due to the hot and dry summers, the vegetation becomes dry, and summer fires are therefore common in areas with a Mediterranean climate. Many plants can adapt to fires (see for example the two films below). The most lush seasons in this climate zone are spring, when it starts to get warmer, and autumn, when the rains start. These are the times of the year when you can see all the bulbous plants in bloom. The winter period is largely frost-free, but sporadic frost may occur. The average temperature is 20-30 °C in summer and around 10 °C in winter.
Cork oak and eucalyptus in the Mediterranean House
Take a guided tour and hear Finn Borchsenius, Head of the Greenhouses and Vice-Dean of Aarhus University, talk about eucalyptus and cork oak in the Mediterranean House. Two trees, both of which are extremely resistant to extreme influences. The cork oak with its thick insulating bark and eucalyptus, which can shoot again after even severe fires.
Climatic zone with a high biodiversity
Areas with a Mediterranean climate have a high level of biodiversity. In the Cape region at the southernmost tip of South Africa, for example, up to 20% of all African plants are found. It is from this region that many of our ornamental plants come from, e.g. geranium, bird of paradise and hyacinth. In an area of approximately 90,000 km2, 68% of the plants are endemic, that is they exist nowhere else. In South-West Australia, there are just over 8,000 species (75% endemic) and in the Mediterranean region approx. 25.000 species.
