Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests
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The Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests is an ecoregion that covers most of the island of Taiwan, with the exception of the southern tip of the island, which constitutes the South Taiwan monsoon rain forests ecoregion. The islands steep mountains host a range of forest types, from subtropical forests in the lowlands to temperate and subalpine forests.
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[edit] Flora
The coastal plains and lower elevations are covered by evergreen laurel-Castanopsis forests, dominated by Cryptocarya chinensis and Castanopsis hystrix, with scattered stands of the subtropical pine Pinus massoniana. As elevation increases, the evergreen broadleaf trees are gradually replaced by deciduous broadleaf trees and conifers. At higher elevations, Cyclobalanopsis glauca replaces laurel and Castanopsis as the dominant tree.
Above 3,000 meters, deciduous broadleaf trees like Formosan Alder (Alnus formosana) and maple (Acer spp.) mix with with Taiwan Hemlock (Tsuga chinensis). At the highest elevations, subalpine forests are dominated by conifers, including hemlocks (Tsuga spp.), spruces (Picea spp.), and firs (Abies spp.).
