Although some Afromontane enclaves are widely separated, they share a similar mix of plant species which are often distinct from the surrounding lowland regions.
Podocarps, of genera
Podocarpus and
Afrocarpus, are a characteristic tree, along with
Prunus africana,
Hagenia abyssinica,
Juniperus procera, and
Olea spp.. In the higher mountains, the Afromontane forest or woodland zone transitions to a higher
Afroalpine zone of grasslands, shrublands, or moorlands. The plant families
Curtisiaceae and
Oliniaceae are Afromontane endemics and family
Barbeyaceae is a near-endemic. The tree genera
Afrocrania, Balthasaria, Curtisia, Ficalhoa, Hagenia, Kiggelaria, Kuloa, Leucosidea, Platypterocarpus, Trichocladus, Widdringtonia, and
Xymalos are Afromontane endemics or near-endemics, as are the plant genera
Ardisiandra, Cincinnobotrys, and
Stapfiella.
Plant communities Afromontane areas have a wide range of plant communities, including intermediate types. These include: •
Afromontane rain forest. Afromontane rain forest is found on wetter slopes from southern Ethiopia to Malawi, mostly between 1200 and 2500 meters elevation. It occurs on wetter slopes where average annual rainfall is from 1250 to 2500 mm, or higher. Elevation and location varies somewhat based on distance from the equator or from the sea, and the size and configuration of the highland where it occurs. Mature rain forests generally have an upper stratum of trees 25 to 45 meters high, a middle stratum 14 to 30 meters high, a lower stratum 6 to 15 meters high, a shrub layer of 3 to 6 meters high, and a sparse herbaceous ground layer. The tree crowns of the upper strata are typically open, and the middle strata may be continuous but rarely forms a dense canopy, while the lower tree stratum is typically dense. Most trees are evergreen. Afromontane rain forests can be similar in structure to lowland
Guineo-Congolian rain forests, but the species mostly differ from lowland forests. Typical trees include
Aningeria adolfi-friederici, Cola greenwayi, Cylicomorpha parviflora, Diospyros abyssinica, Drypetes gerrardii, Entandrophragma excelsum, Ficalhoa laurifolia, Gambeya gorungosana, Kuloa usambarensis, Mitragyna rubrostipulata, Myrianthus holstii, Ochna holstii, Olea capensis, Parinari excelsa, Podocarpus milanjianus, Prunus africana, Strombosia scheffleri,
Syzygium guineense subsp. afromontanum,
Tabernaemontana johnstonii, and
Xymalos monospora. Tree ferns (
Cyathea spp.),
lianas, and
epiphytes, including ferns, mosses, and species of
Begonia, Impatiens, Streptocarpus, and
Peperomia, are abundant. ==Distribution==