Flora
The park is home to some of the finest rainforests in Madagascar. In view of the varying altitude of the park, the type of vegetation is also of varying biodiversity. It is rich in forest vegetation (99% of the area is covered by forests) with many species of flora. Humid evergreen forest in the low elevation zone of the park consists generally of tree canopy of 15–20 metres (49–66 ft) height and also 25 metres (82 ft) high emergents. The trees species in this low-elevation range are Tambourissa, Weinmannia, Diospyros, Ravensara and Dalbergia. The shrub area includes species of tree ferns Cyatheales and Cyatheales, Screw ferns (Lindsaea linearis) and Pandanus. The park also has secondary forest areas. Up to mid-altitudes, dense, humid evergreen forest are noted. Above the mid altitudes, dense forest vegetation comprises sclerophyllous montane forests. The slopes of the forest are seen with denser shrubs with herbs (Impatiens, Begonia) and ferns Polystichum as dominant flora at the floor level of the forests. As a part of the overall forest setting, the flora reported from the park also include 60 species of orchids, 20 species of palms, and 500 or more species of woody plants.
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Famous quotes containing the word flora:
“A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)