About 100 years ago, Madagascar was covered with a real forest. Nowadays, only about 18 % of the original forest is still remaining. It means that the decline of natural habitat is getting worse and worse.

Madagascar has one of the world most diverse plants on earth with a high rate of endemism. This island has 10 endemic plant families with 12,000 species, and they are all well-spread out in different forest types.

 

As the climates and the altitudes account for the plant evolution, the rainforest in the east of Madagascar is very rich in plant species including Palm trees (Arecaceae), Ferns(Pterydophytes), Diospyros (Ebenaceae), Canarium (Burseraceae), Ocotea (Lauraceae), Ravensara (Lauraceae), Symphonia (Clusiaceae) .

 

Besides, the central highland, which covers about 40% of the island, has vegetations that take over other species. Some of them are the Tambourissa (Monimiaceae), Weinmannia (Cunoniaceae), Uapaca (Euphorbiaceae) in the central west, Philippia (Ericaceae) in the mountains, and some Pinus (Pinaceae) and Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae).

 

As for the west of the island, some species has become dominant such as the Commiphora (Burseraceae), Dalbergia (Fabaceae), and the Hildegardia (Malvaceae).

 

Then, in the south of Madagascar, the Alluaudia (Didieraceae) and the Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae), Moringa (Moringaceae), Pachypodium (Apocynaceae), Uncarina (Pedaliaceae) are plants that make the Spiny forest or the Spiny thicket as they can survive in the dry arid land.

 

As Madagascar is an island, one of the plants which is really important for the ecosystem is the Mangrove. They grow mainly in the southeast, the southwest, and the west and in the northwest of Madagascar and they are also used by the locals for medical purpose and for house building.

 

If you are interested in a botanical tour, and if you want to find as many endemic plants as you can, Madagascar is the right place where you can do that.

 

Come and experience it as we are IN SEARCH OF THREATENED SPECIES…