The Einasleigh upland savanna covers a large inland plateau in tropical and subtropical Queensland, Australia, just inland of the moist coast atop ancient eroded volcanic rocks with some of the world's longest lava flows and tubes. Its basalt-derived soils support ironbark eucalyptus woodlands, interspersed with patches of dry rainforest and many distinct wetland types. The climate is drier and cooler than the nearby coast, with summer highs around 35 degrees Celsius and a wet season running from December to March. The endemic golden-shouldered parrot lives here, alongside near-endemic rock-wallabies such as Godman's and Mareeba rock-wallabies, yet only about 7 percent of the ecoregion is protected and grazing, mining, and invasive weeds like lantana and rubber vine continue to degrade habitat. For gardeners, the region's signature ironbark eucalypts are the characteristic native trees of this hardy upland savanna.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 18.6°S, 144.8°E.
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: +3.9°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.
Nature Could Reach Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 2)
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
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 grasslands, savannas & shrublands ecoregions to explore: