An evergreen forest is a
forest made up of
evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as
conifers
Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extan ...
and
holly in cold climates,
eucalyptus,
Live oak,
acacias,
magnolia, and
banksia in more temperate zones, and
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
trees in tropical zones.
Species of trees
Coniferous temperate evergreen forests are most frequently dominated by species in the families. The trees include: Pinaceae and
Cupressaceae
Cupressaceae is a conifer family, the cypress family, with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27–30 genera (17 monotypic), which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdio ...
. Broadleaf temperate evergreen forests include those in which Fagaceae, such as oaks and ferns are common, those in which
Nothofagaceae predominate, and the
eucalyptus forests of the Southern Hemisphere. There also are assorted temperate evergreen forests dominated by other families of trees, such as
Lauraceae
Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...
in
laurel forest
Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glossy and elo ...
.
Regions
Temperate evergreen forests, coniferous, broadleaf, and mixed, are found largely in the
temperate mid-latitudes of ,
Siberia, Canada, Australia,
Africa, Scandinavia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America, Himalayas and western ghats of India and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands. Broadleaf evergreen forests occur in particular in southern China, southeastern Brazil, and parts of southeastern North America.
and in countries around the
Mediterranean Basin
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and w ...
, such as Lebanon and Morocco. Other evergreen forests (or ''tropical rainforests'') are usually found in areas receiving more than 234 cm of rainfall and having a monthly mean temperature of 20 °C or higher in the coldest months. They occupy about seven percent of the Earth's surface and harbour more than half of the planet's terrestrial plants and animals. Tropical evergreen forests are dense, multi-layered, and harbour many types of plants and animals. These forests are found in the areas receiving heavy rainfall (more than 200 cm annual rainfall). They are very dense. Even the sunlight does not reach the ground. Numerous species of trees are found in these forests. In some regions, some types of trees shed their leaves at different times of the year. Therefore, these forests always appear green and are known as evergreen forest.
See also
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Deciduous forest
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Biomes
A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...
*
Ecoregion
*
Ecological land classification
*
List of terrestrial ecoregions (WWF)
*
Temperate coniferous forest
References
{{Reflist
External links
Tropical Evergreen Forests
Forests
Habitat
Habitats
Temperate coniferous forests
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Taiga and boreal forests
Ecoregions
Wildlife