The Azores temperate mixed forests cover the Azores archipelago, an autonomous region of Portugal whose nine principal volcanic islands lie roughly 1,350 to 1,500 km west of the Portuguese mainland. Lowland areas retain little natural vegetation, but above about 500 meters elevation enclaves of evergreen shrub forest persist, characterized by trees such as Laurus azorica, Juniperus brevifolia, Picconia azorica, and Erica azorica. The Gulf Stream gives the islands a mild maritime climate for their latitude, with summer averages near 21 degrees C and winter averages around 14.5 degrees C, and frost does not occur below 500 meters. The ecoregion is home to the endemic Azores bullfinch and the endemic Azores noctule bat; native laurel and juniper forests have been heavily displaced by introduced poplar, oak, and chestnut and by aggressive invasives. Gardeners may recognize native ornamentals from here, including the Azores blueberry (Vaccinium cylindraceum) and Azorean holly (Ilex perado subsp. azorica).

Climate snapshot for this ecoregion

At a glance

About the temperate broadleaf & mixed forests biome

Four-season forests of deciduous hardwoods — oak, maple, beech — often mixed with conifers, shaped by warm summers and cold winters. Trees leaf out in spring and color in autumn; the generally fertile soils have made these forests heavily settled and farmed.

Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion

No catalog plants intersect this ecoregion's zone range. As the catalog grows to cover this region's climate band, suggestions will surface here.

Collections for this ecoregion

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