Included here are the Fiji Islands (such as Viti Levu and Vanua Levu), Samoa Islands, Tonga Islands, Horn Islands, Rotuma Islands, Uvea Island and Niue Island.

Fijian Cloud Forest

These highly humid forests are scattered on the ridges and peaks of various islands above an altitude of about 400 m including Futuna and the larger islands of Fiji and Samoa. They are frequently enveloped in cloud and typically occur where humid offshore winds rise over coastal ranges. The characteristic trees on the Samoan island of Tutuila are Crossostylis biflora, Fagraea berteroana, Hernandia moerenhoutiana, Syzygium samarangense, Trichospermum richii and the endemic Dysoxylum samoensis (Meliaceae), Elaeocarpus tonganus (Elaeocarpaceae), Hedycarya denticulata (Monimiaceae) and Palaquium stehlinii (Sapotaceae), while on Savai’i species such as Omalanthus acuminatus, Streblus anthropophagorum and the endemic Coprosma savaiiense (Rubiaceae), Dysoxylum huntii (Meliaceae), Reynoldsia pleiosperma (Araliaceae) and Weinmannia samoense (Cumoniaceae) predominate. Ground cover is typically dense and dominated by shade-tolerant ferns, herbs and flowering shrubs. Among the many ferns encountered is the small, endemic tree fern Cyathea vaupelii (Cyatheaceae). There are also a number of endemic shrubs belonging to the genera Cyrtandra and Psychotria and the endemic blueberry Vaccinium whitmeei (Ericaceae). Epiphytes occur in profusion. Most of the vascular plants are either ferns or orchids, and in fact the only vascular epiphyte that did not belong to one of these groups on Tutuila was Procris pedunculata – a member of the nettle family (Urticaceae). On Mount Koroturanga (1210 m) on the Fijian island of Taveuni these forests can be very stunted sometimes growing no higher than about 3 m. The endemic trees Ascarina swamyana (Chloranthaceae) and Spireanthemum serratum (Cunoniaceae) are more or less confined to these forests together with several epiphytes such as the endemic Medinilla waterhousei (Melastomataceae). Other endemics recorded here include Alstonia vitiensis (Apocynaceae), Calophyllum vitiense (Hypericaceae), Citronella vitiensis (Cardiopteridaceae), Clinostigma exorrhizum (Arecaceae), Cyrtandra tempestii (Gesneraceae), Decaspermum vitiense (Myrtaceae), Fagraea vitiensis (Loganiaceae), Ficus barclayana (Moraceae), Freycinetia urvilleana (Pandanaceae), Macropiper vitiense (Piperaceae), Randia vitiensis (Rubiaceae), Rapanea myricifolia (Myrsinaceae), Sterculia vitiensis (Sterculiaceae) and Trichospermum richei (Tiliaceae).

References

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