Madagascar dry deciduous forests
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The Madagascar dry deciduous forests occupy the western side of Madagascar, from the Ampasindava Peninsula in the north to Belo-sur-Tsiribihina and Maromandia in the south, together with the island's northern tip. As the name suggests, these are seasonally deciduous woodlands where most trees drop their leaves during the dry season, growing over coastal plains and limestone (tsingy) plateaus and including several species of baobab (Adansonia), Pachypodium, and the flamboyant tree. The climate is tropical, with a marked dry season from roughly May to October and most rain falling between October and April, annual totals ranging from about 1,000 mm in the south to 1,500 mm in the north. The ecoregion is exceptionally rich in endemic species, harboring endemic baobabs and lemurs such as the golden-crowned sifaka along with the fossa as its flagship animal, yet it is heavily fragmented and ranked Critical/Endangered. For gardeners, it is the native home of ornamental icons including the baobabs, the succulent Pachypodium, and the flamboyant tree (Delonix), all adapted to a long dry season.
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.
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.