The Cuban dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of the Neotropics that covers much of mainland Cuba together with Isla de la Juventud, ranging from sea level to roughly 700 meters across the island's interior plains, hills, and limestone uplands. Historically these forests blanketed more than half of Cuba and take several forms, from evergreen and semi-deciduous stands to the distinctive mogotes on conical karst limestone and low sclerophyllous woodland on serpentine soils; characteristic trees include royal palm (Roystonea regia), West Indian mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba), ceiba, and various Tabebuia and Coccothrinax palms. The climate is warm and tropical, averaging around 25 degrees Celsius with annual rainfall of roughly 1,000 to 2,000 millimeters. The ecoregion is rich in endemic life, hosting the bee hummingbird, the world's smallest bird, among well over a hundred bird species of which roughly a dozen are endemic, yet it is considered critically endangered, with more than 90 percent of its original cover degraded or converted. For gardeners, several of its natives, including royal palm, flowering Tabebuia, and gumbo-limbo, are familiar warm-climate ornamentals.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 21.7°N, 78.9°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.1°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
25,449 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
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
Other tropical & subtropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: