The Cuban moist forests are a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....

 ecoregion

Ecoregion

An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...

 that occupies 21400 square kilometres (8,262.6 sq mi) on Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 and Isla de la Juventud. The ecoregion receives more than 2000 millimetres (78.7 in) of rainfall annually, and does not have a dry season. Soil

Soil

Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...

s are usually derived from quartz

Quartz

Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...

, limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

, or serpentinite

Serpentinite

Serpentinite is a rock composed of one or more serpentine group minerals. Minerals in this group are formed by serpentinization, a hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle...

s. Cuban moist forests can be differentiated into lowland forests (sea level to 400 metres (1,312.3 ft)), sub-montane forests (400–800 m (1,312.3–2,624.7 ft)), and montane forests

Cloud forest

A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...

 (800–1900 m (2,624.7–6,233.6 ft)).

Lowland forests

Lowland forests are found at elevations from sea level to 400 metres (1,312.3 ft) and reach heights of 40 metres (131.2 ft). They consist of three tree stories. The upper story includes achiotillo (Alchornea

Alchornea

Alchornea is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae. It comprises 70 tropical species.-Synonyms:*Bleekeria Miq.*Bossera Leandri*Caelebogyne J.Sm.*Cladodes Lour.*Hermesia Humb. & Bonpl....

 latifolia), najesí (Carapa

Carapa

Carapa is a genus in the mahogany family Meliaceae. The c. 25 species become medium-sized to large trees to 30 m tall, occurring in tropical South America and Africa; common names for include Andiroba and Crabwood.-Species:...

 guianensis) and acana (Manilkara valenzuelana

Manilkara valenzuelana

Manilkara valenzuelana is a species of tree or tall shrub in the Sapodilla family. It is found in coastal and subcoastal semi-deciduous forests in Cuba , the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and possibly Puerto Rico. Its habitat has been declining rapidly under pressure from charcoal makers, logging, and...

); the middle story has tagua-tagua (Diospyros

Diospyros

Diospyros is a genus of about 450–500 species of deciduous and evergreen trees. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. They are commonly known as ebony or persimmon trees...

 caribaea), Ocotea

Ocotea

Ocotea is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae. The genus includes over 200 species of evergreen trees and shrubs, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, the West Indies, also with a few species in Africa and Madagascar, and...

 floribunda, Oxandra

Oxandra

Oxandra is a genus of flowering plants in the soursop family, Annonaceae.-Selected species:* Oxandra lanceolata Baill.* Oxandra laurifolia A.Rich.* Oxandra leucodermis Warm.-External links:...

 laurifolia, Talauma

Talauma

Talauma is a genus of plant in family Magnoliaceae. It contains the following species :* Talauma dixonii, Little* Talauma neilii, Lozano...

 minor, Terminalia

Terminalia (plant)

Terminalia is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising around 100 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. This genus gets it name from Latin terminus, referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots.Trees of this genus...

spp. and Ficus

Ficus

Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...

spp.; and the lower story has a number of species of tree ferns

Cyatheales

The order Cyatheales is a taxonomic division of the fern subclass, Cyatheatae, which includes the tree ferns. No clear morphological features characterize all of the Cyatheales, but DNA sequence data indicates that the order is monophyletic. Some species in the Cyatheales have tree-like growth...

, Myrtaceae

Myrtaceae

The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...

 and Melastomataceae

Melastomataceae

right|thumb|200px|Characteristic venation of many melastomesThe family Melastomataceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics comprising some 200 genera and 4500 species...

. Epiphyte

Epiphyte

An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...

s are abundant and varied, including the endemic Hymenodium crinitum, Oleandra

Oleandra

Oleandra is a genus of fern in family Oleandraceae. It contains the following species :* Oleandra hainanensis, Ching...

 articulata, Columnea

Columnea

Columnea is a genus of ca. 200 species of epiphytic herbs and shrubs in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae, native to tropical America and the Caribbean. The tubular or oddly shaped flowers are usually large and brightly colored – usually red, yellow, or orange – sometimes...

 tincta, and Psychotria

Psychotria

Psychotria is a plant genus of 1900 species in the family Rubiaceae. Members of the genus are low trees in tropical forests. The distinction between Psychotria and the genus Cephaelis are not well known and many species were formerly placed there....

 pendula. Typical palms are Calyptronoma plumeriana

Calyptronoma plumeriana

Calyptronoma plumeriana is a pinnately compound leaved palm species which is found in Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. C. plumeriana stems grow singly and reach heights of 4–10 m, with stems 10–20 cm in diameter...

, Prestoea

Prestoea

Prestoea is a genus of palms native to the Caribbean, Central and South America. Its ten species extends from Costa Rica and the Greater Antilles in the north to Brazil and Bolivia in the south....

 acuminata var. montana and Bactris cubensis

Bactris cubensis

Bactris cubensis is a species of palm endemic to the Nipe-Baracoa Massif and eastern Sierra Maestra in eastern Cuba at elevations between 40 and 700 metres above sea level. B. cubensis trees grow 2.7 to 6.4 m tall in clumps of 6 to 12 stems....

. Heliconia

Heliconia

Heliconia, derived from the Greek word helikonios, is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Many species of Heliconia are found in rainforests or tropical wet forests of these regions...

species, moss

Moss

Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...

es, and liverworts

Marchantiophyta

The Marchantiophyta are a division of bryophyte plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like other bryophytes, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information....

 are also important plants.

Sub-montane forests

Sub-montane forests occur elevations of 400–800 m (1,312.3–2,624.7 ft). Typical sub-montane forests consist of two tree stories and an understory

Understory

Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...

; they reach a height of up to 30 metres (98.4 ft) in height. Achiotillo (Alchornea

Alchornea

Alchornea is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae. It comprises 70 tropical species.-Synonyms:*Bleekeria Miq.*Bossera Leandri*Caelebogyne J.Sm.*Cladodes Lour.*Hermesia Humb. & Bonpl....

 latifolia), júcare amarillo (Buchenavia

Buchenavia

Buchenavia is a genus of plant in family Combretaceae. It contains the following species :* Buchenavia grandis, Ducke* Buchenavia hoehneana, N. Mattos* Buchenavia iguaratensis, N. Mattos...

 capitata), purío prieto (Guatteria

Guatteria

Guatteria is a genus of plant in family Annonaceae. It contains the following species :* Guatteria anomala, R.E. Fries* Guatteria atabapensis, Aristeg.* Guatteria augusti, Diels...

 blainii), Licaria

Licaria

Licaria is a flowering plant genus in the family Lauraceae, endemic of Central America and South America. It is a Neotropical genus with near of 40 species.-Overview:...

 jamaicensis, roble macho (Tabebuia hypoleuca

Tabebuia hypoleuca

Tabebuia hypoleuca is a species of plant in the Bignoniaceae family. It is endemic to Cuba.-Source:* Areces-Mallea, A.E. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....

) and Zanthoxylum

Zanthoxylum

Zanthoxylum is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs in the citrus or rue family, Rutaceae, native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. Common names include Prickly-ash and Hercules' Club.The fruit of several species are used to make the spice...

 elephantiasis grow in the upper story. Cuaba de la maestra (Amyris

Amyris

Amyris is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word αμυρων , which means "intensely scented" and refers to the strong odor of the resin...

 lineata), cuajaní (Prunus

Prunus

Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes the plums, cherries, peaches, apricots and almonds. There are around 430 species spread throughout the northern temperate regions of the globe. Many members of the genus are widely cultivated for fruit and ornament.-Botany:Members of the genus...

 myrtifolia), Ditta

Ditta

Ditta is a genus of plants, under the family Euphorbiaceae. It seems to comprise 2 species....

 myricoides, Laplacea spp., Oxandra

Oxandra

Oxandra is a genus of flowering plants in the soursop family, Annonaceae.-Selected species:* Oxandra lanceolata Baill.* Oxandra laurifolia A.Rich.* Oxandra leucodermis Warm.-External links:...

 laurifolia, Ocotea

Ocotea

Ocotea is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae. The genus includes over 200 species of evergreen trees and shrubs, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, the West Indies, also with a few species in Africa and Madagascar, and...

spp., Rapanea

Rapanea

Rapanea is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae.Species include:* Rapanea acuminata* Rapanea allenii Lundell, Central & South America* Rapanea ceylanica Mez, Sri Lanka endemic* Rapanea coclensis Lundell, Panama endemic...

 ferruginea and Podocarpus

Podocarpus

Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The 105 species of Podocarpus are evergreen shrubs or trees from 1-25 m in height...

species can be found in the lower story. Tree ferns

Cyatheales

The order Cyatheales is a taxonomic division of the fern subclass, Cyatheatae, which includes the tree ferns. No clear morphological features characterize all of the Cyatheales, but DNA sequence data indicates that the order is monophyletic. Some species in the Cyatheales have tree-like growth...

, Myrtaceae

Myrtaceae

The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...

 and Melastomataceae

Melastomataceae

right|thumb|200px|Characteristic venation of many melastomesThe family Melastomataceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics comprising some 200 genera and 4500 species...

 and Rubiaceae

Rubiaceae

The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...

 flourish in the understory.

Sub-montane forests growing in ultisols reach a height of 20 metres (65.6 ft) and have two stories with trees such as Calophyllum

Calophyllum

Calophyllum is a flowering plant genus of around 180-200 species of tropical evergreen trees in the family Calophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words καλος , meaning "beautiful", and φυλλον , meaning "leaf." Its members are native to Australasia, Madagascar, Eastern Africa,...

 utile, Guatteria

Guatteria

Guatteria is a genus of plant in family Annonaceae. It contains the following species :* Guatteria anomala, R.E. Fries* Guatteria atabapensis, Aristeg.* Guatteria augusti, Diels...

 cubensis, Magnolia

Magnolia

Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....

 cristalensis, roble de hoja ancha (Tabebuia dubia

Tabebuia dubia

Tabebuia dubia is a species of plant in the Bignoniaceae family. It is endemic to Cuba. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Areces-Mallea, A.E. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....

), Zanthoxylum

Zanthoxylum

Zanthoxylum is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs in the citrus or rue family, Rutaceae, native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. Common names include Prickly-ash and Hercules' Club.The fruit of several species are used to make the spice...

 cubense and Bactris cubensis

Bactris cubensis

Bactris cubensis is a species of palm endemic to the Nipe-Baracoa Massif and eastern Sierra Maestra in eastern Cuba at elevations between 40 and 700 metres above sea level. B. cubensis trees grow 2.7 to 6.4 m tall in clumps of 6 to 12 stems....

.

Montane forests

Montane forests

Cloud forest

A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...

 are found at elevations of 800–1900 m (2,624.7–6,233.6 ft). These forests consist of two arboreal stories and reach a height of 20 metres (65.6 ft). The upper story is dominated by barril (Cyrilla racemiflora

Cyrilla

Cyrilla racemiflora, the sole species in the genus Cyrilla, is a flowering plant in the family Cyrillaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southeastern United States , south through the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America to northern Brazil and...

), marañon de la Maestra (Magnolia

Magnolia

Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....

 cubensis), Persea

Persea

Persea is a genus of about 150 species of evergreen trees belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The best-known member of the genus is the avocado, P. americana, widely cultivated in subtropical regions for its large, edible fruit.-Overview:...

 anomala and Laplacea angustifolia. The lower story consists of Cleyera

Cleyera

Cleyera is a plant genus consisting of 18 tender species of extremely evergreen shrubs to small trees, mostly native to Mexico and Central America, and one from Eastern Asia. The botanical name is derived from Andrew Cleyer, Dutch physician of the seventeenth century...

 nimanimae, Freziera

Freziera

Freziera is a genus of plant in family Theaceae. It contains the following species :* Freziera alata, A. L. Weitzman* Freziera angulosa, Tul* Freziera biserrata, A.L. Weitzman...

 grisebachii, Haenianthus salicifolius, Lyonia

Lyonia (Ericaceae)

Lyonia is a genus of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae.Species include:*Lyonia elliptica*Lyonia jamaicensis*Lyonia ligustrina*Lyonia maestrensis*Lyonia octandra*Lyonia truncata...

species, Torralbasia cuneata and enebro (Juniperus saxicola

Juniperus saxicola

Juniperus saxicola is a species of conifer in the Cupressaceae family.It is found only in Cuba.-Source:* Conifer Specialist Group 1998. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007....

). Epiphyte

Epiphyte

An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...

s, moss

Moss

Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...

es, fern

Fern

A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...

s, terrestrial orchids, and clubmosses

Lycopodiaceae

The Lycopodiaceae is a family of primitive vascular plants, including all of the core clubmosses. These plants bear spores on specialized structures at the apex of a shoot; they resemble a tiny battle club, from which the common name derives...

 are abundant.

Fauna

Bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s of Cuba's moist forests include the Cuban Tody

Cuban Tody

The Cuban Tody is a bird species in the family Todidae that is restricted to Cuba and adjacent islands. The species is characterized by small size , large head relative to body size, and a thin, pointed bill...

 (Todus multicolor), Bee Hummingbird

Bee Hummingbird

The Bee Hummingbird or Zunzuncito is a species of hummingbird that is endemic to Cuba and Isla de la Juventud...

 (Mellisuga helenae), Cuban Trogon

Cuban Trogon

The Cuban Trogon or Tocororo is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Cuba, where it is also the national bird....

 (Priotelus temnurus), Cuban Solitaire

Cuban Solitaire

The Cuban Solitaire , also known as the Cuban nightingale, is a species of bird in the Turdidae family.It is endemic to Cuba.Its natural habitat is montane moist forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...

 (Myadestes elisabeth), Hook-billed Kite

Hook-billed Kite

The Hook-billed Kite, Chondrohierax uncinatus, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles, and harriers...

 (Chondrohierax uncinatus), Red-legged Honeycreeper

Red-legged Honeycreeper

The Red-legged Honeycreeper is a small songbird species in the tanager family . It is found in the tropical New World from southern Mexico south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and on Cuba, where possibly introduced.-Description:The Red-legged Honeycreeper is on average...

 (Cyanerpes cyaneus), Cuban Parakeet

Cuban Parakeet

The Cuban Parakeet or Catey is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family that is endemic to the island of Cuba. It was extirpated from the Isla de la Juventud south of Cuba soon after 1900....

 (Aratinga euops), Stygian Owl

Stygian Owl

The Stygian Owl, Asio stygius is a medium-sized dusky colored owl. It has yellow eyes, a black beak, a dark blackish facial disk, and white eyebrows. Its underparts are a dingy buff color with dark brown barring and streaks...

 (Asio stygius) and Gundlach's Hawk

Gundlach's Hawk

The Gundlach's Hawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is endemic to Cuba.Its natural habitats are dry forests and lowland moist forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:*...

 (Accipiter gundlachi). The rare Cuban Solenodon

Cuban Solenodon

The Cuban Solenodon or Almiqui , is a species of soricomorph that is endemic to Cuba. It belongs to the family Solenodontidae along with a similar species, the Hispaniolan Solenodon...

 (Solenodon cubanus), a small mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

, is endemic to eastern montane forests. Other notable mammals include the hutia

Hutia

Hutias are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the family Capromyidae that inhabit the Caribbean Islands. They range in size from , and can weigh up to . Twenty species of hutia have been identified, and half may be extinct. They resemble the nutria in some respects...

s, which are medium-sized, brown rodent

Rodent

Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....

s.