Photosynthetic characteristic of South African sclerophylls.

Sclerophyll shrubs of the South African mountain fynbos have leaves similar in structural and physiological properties to leaves from evergreen shrubs of other mediterranean-climate regions. These leaves have relatively low photosynthetic capacities (<14 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1), and are light saturated at relatively low photon irradiances (<1.0 mmol m-2 s-1). They have broad temperature responses of photosynthesis, moderate water-use efficiencies (∼0.003 mol CO2/mol H2O), high specific weights (∼200 g m-2) and low nitrogen contents (∼10 mg g-1).