The History of Brassicaceae Plants

Brassicaceae can be found on almost the entire earth’s land surface, except in Antarctica and some areas in the tropics, i.e., northeastern Brazil, the Congo basin, Maritime Southeast Asia, and tropical Australasia. The location of origin of the family is possibly the Irano-Turanian Region, where approximately 900 species occur in 150 different genera. About 530 of those 900 species are endemic. Next in abundance comes the Mediterranean Region, with around 630 species (290 of which are endemic) in 113 genera. The family is less prominent in the Saharo-Arabian Region, with 65 genera and 180 species, of which 62 are endemic, and in North America (comprising the North American Atlantic Region and the Rocky Mountain Floristic Region), 99 genera and 780 species, of which 600 are endemic. South America has 40 genera containing 340 native species, Southern Africa has 15 genera with over 100 species, and Australia and New Zealand have 19 genera with 114 species [1].