The Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic occupies the west-central highlands of Angola, running along the inland margin of the escarpment some 50 to 100 km from the coast across Huambo, Cuanza Sul, and Huila provinces, and crowned by isolated peaks such as Mount Moco, Mount Mepo, and Mount Lubangue that all rise above 2,500 meters. Open montane grassland dominates above roughly 1,600 meters, studded with Protea sugarbushes and Erica shrubs and grasses such as Themeda triandra, while small forest patches survive in humid ravines and on higher slopes where yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius) shares an irregular 8-to-15-meter canopy with trees like Polyscias fulva and Ilex mitis. The climate brings wet summers with mist and rainfall through much of the year, though dry-season fires are common and frosts occur on the highest ground. The highlands support dozens of endemic and near-endemic species, including the flagship Angola cave-chat and the threatened Swierstra's francolin, yet the ecoregion is rated Critical/endangered and contains no protected areas. For gardeners the region is the native home of ornamental staples such as Protea, Erica, and Podocarpus.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 12.5°S, 15.2°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
11b-13a
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
12a-13a
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.7°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Montane Grasslands & Shrublands
Realm
Afrotropic
Approximate area
6,687 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Imperiled (Dinerstein NNH 4)
About the montane grasslands & shrublands biome
High-elevation grasslands, meadows, and shrublands above the treeline or in mountain basins, including alpine and páramo systems. Cool temperatures, intense sunlight, and specialized, often endemic flora characterize them.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 4
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
These plants fit the ecoregion as it is today, but the mid-century projection moves them outside their stated zone range — plan for them to struggle by 2070.
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other montane grasslands & shrublands ecoregions to explore: