The Southwest Australia Woodlands ecoregion occupies the southwestern corner of Western Australia, part of the Australasia realm. It is dominated by forests of jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and marri (Eucalyptus calophylla), giving way to drier, more open eucalyptus woodlands inland where wheatbelt wandoo and powderbark grow. The region has a wet-winter, dry-summer Mediterranean climate, one of only five such climates in the world, and lies within the Southwest Australia global biodiversity hotspot renowned for exceptional plant endemism. Its flora includes at least 3,500 plant species, with a great diversity of endemics, notably in the protea family (Proteaceae); the striped, day-foraging numbat serves as the ecoregion's flagship species. Much of the native cover has been cleared for agriculture, making remaining woodlands a conservation priority. For gardeners, this is the homeland of many Proteaceae ornamentals.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 33.0°S, 116.3°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
11a-12b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
11a-12b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +2.0°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
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands & Scrub
Realm
Australasia
Approximate area
23,313 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Recover (Dinerstein NNH 3)
About the mediterranean forests, woodlands & scrub biome
Regions of hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters supporting drought-adapted shrublands — chaparral, maquis, fynbos — and open woodlands. Fire is a natural shaping force, and these climates hold extraordinary plant diversity and endemism.
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 · 52
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 mediterranean forests, woodlands & scrub ecoregions to explore: