Archaeophyte
Sign in to savethumb|Rhododendron ponticum is an example of a species which recolonised central and northern Europe following the Ice Ages. An archaeophyte is a plant species which is non-native to a geographical region, but which was an introduced species in "ancient" times, rather than being a modern introduction. Those arriving after are called neophytes.
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4 sectionsContents
- Background
- Examples
- See also
- References
thumb|Rhododendron ponticum is an example of a species which recolonised central and northern Europe following the Ice Ages. An archaeophyte is a plant species which is non-native to a geographical region, but which was an introduced species in "ancient" times, rather than being a modern introduction. Those arriving after are called neophytes.
The cut-off date is usually the beginning of the early modern period (turn of the 15th or 16th century). In Britain, archaeophytes are considered to be those species first introduced prior to the year 1492, when Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World and the Columbian Exchange began.