The predominant plant community is subtropical broadleaf evergreen forest. These forests include a mix of subtropical plants common to the Himalayas and southern China, along with tropical lowland forest species. Mature forests form a three-layered canopy up to high. Trees from the plant families
Theaceae (
Schima spp.),
Magnoliaceae (
Michelia spp.,
Magnolia spp.), and
Fagaceae (
Quercus spp.,
Castanopsis spp., and
Lithocarpus spp.) are predominant. Several kinds of trees from
Dipterocarpaceae can also be found in this area, for example
Parashorea chinensis,
Dipterocarpus retusus and
Hopea mollissima. Other tree families represented are
Betulaceae,
Hamamelidaceae,
Lauraceae,
Sapotaceae, and
Elaeocarpaceae. Montane broadleaf evergreen forests occur from elevation up to elevation. The subtropical montane species are predominant, and the tropical lowland species are absent. Deciduous broadleaf trees and conifers are found at higher elevations. Montane deciduous forests are found on the Shan Plateau of northern Myanmar. On Fansipan in northern Vietnam, a distinct fir-hemlock forest grows above elevation, and is found nowhere else in Southeast Asia. The characteristic trees are the conifers
Tsuga dumosa and
Abies delavayi var.
nukiangensis. The firs and hemlocks are accompanied by broadleaf trees of families
Aceraceae,
Hippocastanaceae, Fagaceae, Magnoliaceae, and Lauraceae, and conifers of
Cupressaceae,
Podocarpaceae, and
Taxaceae. Forests growing on limestone substrates have a distinct composition, with the trees
Tetrameles nudiflora, Antiaris toxicaria, Celtis timorensis, C. philippensis, Cleistanthus sumatranus, Garuga floribunda, Pterospermum menglunense, Ulmus lanceifolia, and Xantolis stenosepala. ==Fauna==