The Hengduan Mountains subalpine conifer forests stretch across southwestern China at the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, covering northern Yunnan Province, western Sichuan Province, and the extreme eastern edge of the Tibet Autonomous Region within the upper Yangtze (Jinsha) and Yalong River valleys. Growing between roughly 2,800 and 4,500 meters, these are subalpine conifer forests dominated by spruce, fir, and larch, with a broadleaf deciduous understory of birch, maple, and mountain ash. Despite a subtropical latitude, the deeply folded terrain of river gorges and high dividing ranges brings cold, snowy winters. The region is considered among the most biologically diverse temperate areas on Earth, home to the flagship Yunnan snub-nosed monkey alongside red pandas and clouded leopards, with protected areas including Pudacuo National Park. For gardeners, it is a heartland of more than 200 Rhododendron species, many in the Hymenanthes subgenus.

At a glance

About the temperate conifer forests biome

Temperate forests dominated by evergreen conifers, from coastal rainforests to montane pine and fir stands. Adapted to cool, moist or seasonally dry climates, they include some of the tallest and longest-lived trees on the planet.

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.

Collections for this ecoregion

Curated multi-plant collections whose members all fit this ecoregion's zone range — no won't-grow members smuggled in. Overall fit class shown per collection is the weakest link across its members.

Related ecoregions