Editing Sclerophyll (section)

==Description==
[[File:Dehesa_Los_Valhondos_Jamon_BEHER_Bernardo_Hernandez_Salamanca_Pelayos.jpg|250px|thumb|Sclerophyllous woodland in Spain]]

Sclerophyll [[woody plant]]s are characterized by their relatively small, stiff, leathery and long-lasting leaves. The sclerophyll vegetation is the result of an adaptation of the flora to the summer dry period of a [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean-type climate]].

Plant species with this type of adaptation tend to be [[evergreen]] with great longevity, slow growth and with no loss of leaves during the unfavorable season. As a result, the [[thicket]]s that make up these [[ecosystem]]s are of the persistent evergreen type, in addition to the predominance of plants, even [[herbaceous]] ones, with "hard" leaves, which are covered by a thick leathery layer called the [[cuticle]], that prevents water loss during the dry season. The aerial and underground structures of these plants are modified to make up for water shortages that may affect their survival.

The name sclerophyll derives from the highly developed [[sclerenchyma]] from the plant, which is responsible for the hardness or stiffness of the leaves. This structure of the leaves inhibits transpiration and thus prevents major water losses during the dry season. Most of the plant species in the sclerophyll zone are not only insensitive to summer drought, they have also used various strategies to adapt to frequent [[wildfires]], heavy rainfall and [[Soil nutrient|nutrient]] deficiencies.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Farbatlas Ökosysteme der Erde: natürliche, naturnahe und künstliche Land-Ökosysteme aus geobotanischer Sicht |date=1997 |publisher=Ulmer |isbn=978-3-8001-3489-2 |editor-last=Grabherr |editor-first=Georg |location=Stuttgart}}</ref>