The Veracruz dry forests form a small tropical dry broadleaf ecoregion on the coastal plain of central Veracruz, Mexico, lying north of the Santa Marta and San Andrés volcanoes and existing as an ecological island surrounded by tropical moist forest. The dry climate stems from a rain shadow cast by the Sierra de Chiconquiaco, and with less than 1,000 mm of rain a year and a long dry season, most trees drop their leaves entirely for several months; characteristic species include the golden and rosy trumpet trees (Tabebuia chrysantha and Tabebuia rosea), Jamaican dogwood, and elephant-ear (Enterolobium cyclocarpum), alongside abundant succulents and cacti in the genera Acanthocereus, Agave, Opuntia, and Nopalea. The flagship species is the Mexican agouti (Dasyprocta mexicana), a rodent now considered critically endangered. Much of the original forest has been cleared for logging, fruit and coffee plantations, and cattle, leaving only a small fraction protected, which makes the ecoregion a conservation priority. For gardeners, several of its natives, including Tabebuia, Agave, and Opuntia, are familiar drought-tolerant ornamentals.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 19.1°N, 96.4°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
12b-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: +3.1°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 Dry Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Neotropic
Approximate area
2,562 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Imperiled (Dinerstein NNH 4)
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.
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 dry broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: