The Chiapas Depression dry forests occupy the central Chiapas Depression of southern Mexico, extending into Guatemala, set between the Chiapas Highlands and the Sierra Madre de Chiapas and drained by the Grijalva River. This is tropical deciduous dry forest where many trees shed their leaves through the long dry season; characteristic species include Lysiloma divaricatum, Alvaradoa amorphoides, Ceiba pentandra, and Bursera shrubs and trees, with Taxodium mucronatum and Ficus along rivers and cacti and succulents common in the driest sites. The climate is hot and strongly seasonal, warm and sub-humid in the lowlands and semi-warm humid on the slopes, with a multi-month dry season and rainfall held below about 1,200 mm a year by rain-shadow effects. Despite its modest size the region holds roughly 980 plant species and accounts for an outsized share of Mexico's endemic dry-forest flora, though intact forest is now scarce after cattle grazing, logging, and farming, with remnants protected in Sumidero Canyon National Park and the La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve. For gardeners in hot, dry climates the flora includes well-known ornamentals such as pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) and the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra).
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 16.3°N, 92.8°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
12a-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
12a-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.3°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
Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Neotropic
Approximate area
5,413 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Imperiled (Dinerstein NNH 4)
About the tropical & subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome
Tropical forests that pass through a pronounced dry season, when many trees drop their leaves to conserve water. They hold high biodiversity but are among the most threatened tropical habitats, sensitive to fire and to clearing for agriculture.
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.
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 tropical & subtropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: