Taiwanian Lowland Rain Forest

Some of the best examples of lowland rain forest in Taiwan are found in the Nanjenshan Reserve (part of the Kenting National Park) situated on the Hengshun Peninsula on the southern part of the island. Here the forests can be divided into a Machilus-Castanopsis zone on the windward slopes and ridge tops and a Ficus-Castanopsis zone mainly confined to the valleys. Both of these are noteworthy in biogeographical terms for their admixture of Holarctic and tropical elements. In the Machilus-Castanopsis zone the main trees apart from Machilus thunbergia, M. zuihoensis and Castanopsis cuspidata var. carlesii include Cyclobalanopsis championii, C. longinus, Daphniphyllum glaucescens subsp. oldhamii, Illicum arborescens, Lithocarpus amygdalifolius, Schefflera octophylla, Schima superba var. kankoensis and the endemic Eurya nitida var. nanjenschanensis (Theaceae). The canopy can reach heights of 15 m on leeward slopes but can be as low as 3 m on windward slopes. Among the tallest trees are Cyclobalanopsis championii, C. longinus and Castanopsis cuspidata, whereas Illicum arborescens is usually a sub canopy species. The main plant families are Aquifoliaceae, Araliaceae, Daphniphyllaceae, Illiciaceae, Lauraceae and Myrtaceae. In the Ficus-Castanopsis zone the most important trees are Bischofia javanica, Castanopsis indica, Dendrocnide meyeniana, Dysoxylum kushkusense, Ilex rotunda, Lagerstroemia subcostata, Machilus japonica var. kusanoi, Schefflera octophyllum and Sloanea formosana with a canopy height of up to 20 m. However, these forests tend to be dominated by large emergent species of Bischofia javanica, Ficus benjamina and Ilex rotunda. Several species have large buttress roots and most trees support a rich epiphytic flora and thick lianas. The most important plant families are Aquifoliaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lauraceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae and Urticaceae. The species richness of these forests is comparable with those of southern China but is lower than Hainan Island forests.

 

Taiwanian Littoral Forest

Typical of many mangrove forests in this part of the world, Rhizophora mucronata and Bruguiera conjugata are two of the more important species, but thickets of Pandanus odoratissimus may also dominate certain tidal swamps.

 

Taiwanian Evergreen Sclerophyllus Broad-Leaved Forest

This formation tends to occur at altitudes between 500m and 2000m and is chiefly dominated by various Castanopsis species including C. hystrix (C.taiwaniana) and C. tribuloides (C. formosana), Quercus species including Q. gilva and Q. longinux), and Pasana species including P. amygdaloides and P. kawakamii). The lauraceous element includes Actinodaphne mushaensis, Beilschmiedia erythrophloia, Cinnamomum japonica and the rare endemic Cinnamomum brevipedunclatum (Lauraceae). Conifers include Podocarpus nakaii, Keteleeria davidiana, Amentotaxus argotaenia and the endemic or near endemic Pinus formosus (Pinaceae), while other forest components include the two endemics Magnolia kachirachirai (Magoliaceae) and Turpinia formosana (Staphyleaceae). Tree ferns are represented by Alsophila tomentosa and endemic Cibotium taiwaniana (Cibotiaceae)

 

Taiwanian Mountain Conifer Forest

These forests embody an upper and lower zone. The lower zone is characterized by Chamaecyparis and includes the endemic C. formosensus (Cupressaceae), the largest conifer in eastern Asia, together with the endemic C. obtusa ssp. formosana. This is also the habitat of Taiwania cryptomerioides which was also originally thought to be endemic the Taiwan, but has since been found in sheltered valleys of the upper Nu-Kiang and Chiu-Kiang where some were found to be over 800 years old. It has also been found near Lichuan close to stands of the ancient conifer Metasequoia glyptostroboides. These are though to be remnants of an ancient forest of giant confer that were in the same era as the Sequoia forests of the New World. Some regard all mainland examples of Taiwania to be a separate species (T. flousiana). The upper zone is chiefly composed of the endemic Abies kawakamii (Pinaceae) together with Tsuga chinensis, Pinus armandi and two other endemics - Picea morrisonicola and Pinus taiwanensis (Pinaceae). In terms of generic composition these forests have much in common with their boreal counterparts and yet they are situated south of the Tropic of Cancer, but since snow can also occur in these high mountains, it is not surprising that this vegetation has similarities with more northern climes.

Further information required.

 

References

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