The Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna covers the northern portion of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia, along with the adjacent Torres Strait Islands, bounded by the Coral Sea to the east and the Gulf of Carpentaria to the west. Eucalypt woodlands and savannas form the dominant cover, with Darwin stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonta) the most widespread tree, while low open woodlands of Melaleuca, patches of rainforest and vine thicket, heathlands, and extensive mangroves round out the habitat mosaic. The climate is tropical and monsoonal, with a dry season from May to October and a heavy monsoon from November to April, and rainfall rising from the drier south toward the wetter north. Once linked by land to New Guinea, the peninsula's varied habitats support an exceptionally rich biota, including a large share of Australia's frogs, reptiles, mammals, and birds, with the Cape York birdwing butterfly as its flagship species and birds such as the golden-shouldered parrot and palm cockatoo. For gardeners, the region is the native home of distinctive endemic palms in the genera Wodyetia and Normanbya and an unusually diverse native orchid flora.

At a glance

About the tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands biome

Warm grasslands and savannas where grasses dominate and trees are scattered, maintained by seasonal rainfall, grazing, and fire. They support large herbivore communities and respond sharply to wet–dry cycles.

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