1. Tropical Wet Evergreen
Dense 45m+ 4-layered canopy. Western Ghats, NE India, Andamans. No leaf fall, >250cm rain.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Wild Pepper – Piper nigrum
- Cardamom – Elettaria cardamomum
- Wild Banana – Musa acuminata
- Tree Fern – Cyathea spinulosa
- Forest Orchid – Dendrobium
- Rattan Cane – Calamus thwaitesii
- Wild Turmeric – Curcuma aromatica
🌳 Trees
- Rosewood – Dalbergia latifolia
- Ebony – Diospyros ebenum
- Ironwood – Mesua ferrea
- Wild Jack – Artocarpus hirsutus
- White Cedar – Dysoxylum malabaricum
- Malabar Kino – Pterocarpus marsupium
- Mahogany – Swietenia mahagoni
2. Tropical Semi-Evergreen
Transition zone between evergreen and deciduous. Partial leaf shedding. W. Ghats fringes, Odisha, Assam.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Bamboo – Bambusa arundinacea
- Wild Ginger – Zingiber zerumbet
- Curry Leaf shrub – Murraya koenigii
- Indian Sarsaparilla – Hemidesmus indicus
- Boston Fern – Nephrolepis exaltata
- Cane Palm – Calamus rotang
🌳 Trees
- Terminalia paniculata – Kindal
- Lagerstroemia microcarpa – Benteak
- Wild Mango – Mangifera indica
- Jamun – Syzygium cumini
- Kadamba – Neolamarckia cadamba
- Soapnut – Sapindus trifoliatus
3. Tropical Moist Deciduous
Teak-Sal heartland. Central India, Terai. Sheds leaves in summer. Prime tiger habitat.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Tendu seedling – Diospyros melanoxylon
- Mahua seedling – Madhuca longifolia
- Wild Date Palm – Phoenix sylvestris
- Strict Bamboo – Dendrocalamus strictus
- Satawar – Asparagus racemosus
- Flame Lily – Gloriosa superba
🌳 Trees
- Teak – Tectona grandis
- Sal – Shorea robusta
- Mahua – Madhuca longifolia
- Arjun – Terminalia arjuna
- Amla – Phyllanthus emblica
- Palas – Butea monosperma
4. Tropical Dry Deciduous
Open canopy, long leafless season. Deccan Plateau, S. Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Ber shrub – Ziziphus mauritiana
- Henna – Lawsonia inermis
- Aloe vera – Aloe barbadensis
- Madar – Calotropis gigantea
- Agave – Agave americana
- Prickly Pear – Opuntia stricta
🌳 Trees
- Neem – Azadirachta indica
- Babool – Vachellia nilotica
- Anjan – Hardwickia binata
- Axlewood – Anogeissus latifolia
- Tamarind – Tamarindus indica
- Tendu – Diospyros melanoxylon
5. Tropical Thorn / Scrub
Arid, <70cm rain. Thorny stunted growth. Thar Desert, Kutch.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Aak – Calotropis procera
- Thor – Euphorbia caducifolia
- Sewan Grass – Lasiurus scindicus
- Kair – Capparis decidua
- Guggul – Commiphora wightii
- Datura – Datura stramonium
🌳 Trees
- Khejri – Prosopis cineraria
- Babool – Vachellia nilotica
- Rohida – Tecomella undulata
- Ber – Ziziphus nummularia
- Kumat – Acacia senegal
- Jand – Prosopis juliflora
6. Subtropical Broad-leaved Hill
Misty 1000-2000m. Mossy oak-chestnut forests. Eastern Himalaya, Nilgiris.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Wild Strawberry – Fragaria nubicola
- Himalayan Nettle – Urtica dioica
- Wild Begonia – Begonia picta
- Primula – Primula denticulata
- Bracken Fern – Pteridium aquilinum
- Wild Raspberry – Rubus ellipticus
🌳 Trees
- Ban Oak – Quercus leucotrichophora
- Moru Oak – Quercus dilatata
- Chestnut – Castanopsis indica
- Magnolia – Magnolia campbellii
- Tree Rhododendron – Rhododendron arboreum
- Alder – Alnus nepalensis
7. Subtropical Pine
1000-2000m Western Himalaya. Fire-prone Chir Pine forests.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Barberry – Berberis aristata
- Myrsine – Myrsine africana
- Wild Rose – Rosa brunonii
- Carissa – Carissa spinarum
- Bhabar Grass – Eulaliopsis binata
- Pine Grass – Heteropogon contortus
🌳 Trees
- Chir Pine – Pinus roxburghii
- Ban Oak – Quercus leucotrichophora
- Deodar – Cedrus deodara
- Wild Olive – Olea ferruginea
- Toon – Toona ciliata
- Semal – Bombax ceiba
8. Montane Shola
>1500m Nilgiris, Anamalai. Stunted evergreen patches in grasslands. Highly endemic.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Neelakurinji – Strobilanthes kunthiana
- Shola Grass – Chrysopogon zeylanicus
- Wild Balsam – Impatiens leschenaultii
- Tree Fern – Cyathea nilgirensis
- Wintergreen – Gaultheria fragrantissima
- Usnea Lichen – Usnea longissima
🌳 Trees
- Nilgiri Rhododendron – Rhododendron nilgiricum
- Mahonia – Mahonia leschenaultii
- Litsea – Litsea wightiana
- Shola Jamun – Syzygium calophyllifolium
- Nilgiri Michelia – Michelia nilagirica
- Holly – Ilex denticulata
9. Himalayan Moist Temperate
2000-3000m. Deodar-oak-rhododendron. Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Himalayan Yew – Taxus wallichiana
- Shield Fern – Dryopteris
- Wild Mint – Mentha longifolia
- Viburnum – Viburnum cotinifolium
- Skimmia – Skimmia laureola
- Himalayan Bamboo – Thamnocalamus spathiflorus
🌳 Trees
- Deodar – Cedrus deodara
- Blue Pine – Pinus wallichiana
- Moru Oak – Quercus dilatata
- Kharsu Oak – Quercus semecarpifolia
- Horse Chestnut – Aesculus indica
- Maple – Acer caesium
10. Subalpine & Alpine
>3000m. Juniper scrub to alpine meadows. Ladakh, Sikkim.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Juniper shrub – Juniperus communis
- Wormwood – Artemisia
- Potentilla – Potentilla atrosanguinea
- Rockfoil – Saxifraga
- Alpine Primrose – Primula
- Dwarf Rhododendron – Rhododendron anthopogon
🌳 Trees
- West Himalayan Fir – Abies pindrow
- Birch / Bhojpatra – Betula utilis
- Pencil Juniper – Juniperus macropoda
- Dwarf Willow – Salix
- Alpine Rose – Rhododendron campanulatum
- Himalayan Poplar – Populus ciliata
11. Mangrove / Littoral
Tidal saline creeks. Sundarbans, Bhitarkanika. Pneumatophore roots.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Mangrove Fern – Acrostichum aureum
- Sea Holly – Acanthus ilicifolius
- Wild Rice – Porteresia coarctata
- Sea Blite – Suaeda maritima
- Beach Purslane – Sesuvium portulacastrum
- Beach Morning Glory – Ipomoea pes-caprae
🌳 Trees
- Sundari – Heritiera fomes
- Gewa – Excoecaria agallocha
- Goran – Ceriops decandra
- Keora – Sonneratia apetala
- Baen – Avicennia marina
- Hental Palm – Phoenix paludosa
12. Terai Riverine / Swamp
Floodplain tall grass + swamp forest. Kaziranga, Dudhwa, Valmiki.
🌿 Plants / Understory
- Elephant Grass – Saccharum spontaneum
- Narkat Grass – Phragmites karka
- Wild Sugarcane – Saccharum arundinaceum
- Vetiver – Chrysopogon zizanioides
- Hogla – Typha elephantina
- Water Hyacinth – Eichhornia crassipes
🌳 Trees
- Jamun – Syzygium cumini
- Arjun – Terminalia arjuna
- Simul – Bombax ceiba
- Khair – Senegalia catechu
- Sissoo – Dalbergia sissoo
- Elephant Apple – Dillenia indica