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Van Wikipedia, de vrije encyclopedie
Megaherbs occur on many of the subantarctic islands of New Zealand, predominantly on the Snares island group, the Auckland Islands and the Campbell Island group. The plants evolved in response to the climatological and soil conditions and the lack of herbivores on the islands. The weather is largely wet, cold and extremely windy; the soil peaty, acidic and impoverished. The almost continual cloud cover means that the islands experience low light levels.
The term 'megaherb' was first used by James Clark Ross during his 1839–43 Antarctic expedition.[2] Joseph Dalton Hooker, the expedition's botanist, wrote in the Flora of Lord Auckland and Campbell's Islands that the megaherbs produced "a floral display second to none outside the tropics". Although small in size when compared to plants found in the tropics, megaherbs are notable because their size is far greater than other herbaceous perennials found growing in the subantarctic islands: generally the harsh weather and soil conditions experienced there have a stunting effect on plants.
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