The Orissa (Odisha) semi-evergreen forests stretch across the coastal plain and low hills of the eastern Indian state of Odisha, fronting the Bay of Bengal. These tropical moist broadleaf forests are dominated by sal (Shorea robusta), a tall hardwood, alongside a characteristic tree community of Artocarpus, Michelia, Bridelia, Ficus, and Mangifera, with stands of bamboo and cane fragmenting the canopy. The full force of the southwestern summer monsoon, sweeping in off the Bay of Bengal, keeps conditions moister and milder year-round than the drier Deccan interior to the west. Despite hosting tiger, Asian elephant, gaur, and sloth bear, the ecoregion is rated critical or endangered, as the great majority of its original forest has been cleared and only a small fraction is protected; its flagship is the globally threatened lesser florican. For gardeners, several genera native here, including the figs (Ficus) and mango (Mangifera), are familiar tropical ornamental and fruiting plants.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 20.3°N, 85.8°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)
12b-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.7°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 Moist Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Indomalayan
Approximate area
8,605 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Imperiled (Dinerstein NNH 4)
About the tropical & subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome
Warm, wet, highly productive forests — including tropical rainforests — with closed canopies, near year-round growing seasons, and the richest terrestrial biodiversity on Earth. Low seasonality and high rainfall sustain dense, layered vegetation from canopy to forest floor.
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 moist broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: