The Samoan tropical moist forests cover the volcanic Samoan Islands of the central Pacific, spanning both independent Samoa and the U.S. territory of American Samoa, with the largest islands of Savai'i and 'Upolu making up most of the land area. The forest grades by elevation, from lowland rainforest rich in genera such as Diospyros, Calophyllum, Pometia, Dysoxylum, and Syzygium, into montane forest, and finally into cloud forest above roughly 650 meters where Weinmannia, Reynoldsia, and Cyathea tree ferns take hold. The climate is humid and tropical, with high annual rainfall and near-constant cloud cover blanketing the upper mountain slopes. These islands are notably species-rich for their size, supporting a large share of endemic flowering plants, ferns, and land birds, including the critically endangered tooth-billed pigeon (manumea), Samoa's distinctive national bird. Conservation pressure is acute, as over 80 percent of the lowland rainforest has already been cleared for logging and subsistence and cash crops. Gardeners may recognize native coastal genera here such as Pandanus, Barringtonia, and Scaevola.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 13.6°S, 172.4°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: +2.3°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
Oceania
Approximate area
1,194 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Reach Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 2)
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
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 moist broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: