Editing Vanuatu rain forests (section)

==Flora==
The natural plant communities on the islands include lowland rain forest, montane rain forest, seasonal forest and scrub, coastal strand, mangroves, vegetation on recent volcanic rocks, and secondary vegetation.<ref name = wwf/>

Lowland rain forest occurs on the southeastern, or windward, sides of Vanuatu's islands. There are several lowland rain forest types. Complex forest scrub densely covered with lianas is the most widespread forest type on the larger northern islands. Other types include high- and medium-stature forests, alluvial and floodplain forests, and mixed-species forests without conifers. ''[[Agathis]]-[[Calophyllum]]'' lowland forest is found on the southern islands of [[Erromango]] and [[Aneityum]].<ref name = wwf/>

Lowland rainforest is the predominant plant community on the Santa Cruz Islands, and has some differences from the lowland rain forests on the islands further south. Typical species include ''[[Campnosperma brevipetiolatum]], [[Calophyllum vitiense]], [[Gmelina salomonensis]], [[Maranthes corymbosa]], [[Falcataria falcata]], [[Pterocarpus indicus]]'', and ''[[Endospermum medullosum]]''. There is no well-developed montane forest, but the trees ''[[Metrosideros vitiensis]], [[Syzygium branderhorstii]], [[Syzygium buettnerianum]], [[Syzygium effusum]], [[Syzygium myriadenum]]'', and ''[[Syzygium onesimum]]'', and the conifers ''[[Agathis macrophylla]]'' and ''[[Retrophyllum vitiense]]'', which are typically montane species elsewhere, grow in the islands' lowland forests.<ref name = wwf/> ''Agathis macrophylla'' grows only on Nendö and Vanikoro, and is found on ridges and slopes as an emergent tree in mixed forests or in monotypic stands.<ref name = Fosberg/>

In Vanuatu, montane rain forests extent from as low as 500 meters elevation up to patches of stunted cloud forest on the islands' highest peaks. They include the conifers ''Agathis macrophylla'' and ''[[Dacrycarpus imbricatus]]'', together with broadleaf evergreen trees ''Metrosideros vitiensis, Syzygium'' spp., ''[[Pterophylla (plant)|Pterophylla]]'' spp., ''[[Geissois]]'' spp., ''[[Quintinia]]'' spp., and ''[[Ascarina]]'' spp.<ref name = wwf/> The tree ferns ''[[Cyathea]]'' and ''[[Dickinsonia]]'' are common, and the endemic palm ''[[Clinostigma harlandii]]'' is found on the islands [[Ambrym]], Aneityum, and Erromango.<ref name = wwf/> ''[[Podocarpus vanuatuensis]]'' is a Vanuatu endemic, native to Aneityum and Erromango. ''[[Agathis silbae]]'' is endemic to the Cumberland Peninsula and [[Mount Tabwemasana]], also known as Santo Peak, on the west coast of Espiritu Santo, from 450 to 760 meters elevation. It is a large emergent tree in lower montain rainforest on the wetter western and northwestern slopes of Espiritu Santo's central mountain range, with an average annual rainfall of about 4,500 mm. Associated trees include ''[[Calophyllum neo-ebudicum]], [[Cryptocarya turbinata]], [[Didymocheton]]'' sp., ''[[Myristica]]'' sp., and ''[[Podocarpus]]'' sp.<ref name= iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Thomas, P. |date=2013 |title=''Agathis silbae'' |volume=2013 |page=e.T34062A2841891 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T34062A2841891.en |access-date=7 January 2024}}</ref> ''[[Metrosideros tabwemasanaensis]]'' is a tree endemic to the montane forests of Mount Tabwemasana.<ref name = Pillon>Pillon, Yohan (2018). A new species of Metrosideros (Myrtaceae) from Vanuatu and notes on the genus. ''Phytotaxa'' Vol. 347 No. 2: 13 April 2018: 197–200. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.347.2.10</ref>

Seasonal forest, scrub, and grassland grow on the leeward sides of the islands. Semideciduous ''[[Kleinhovia|Kleinhovia hospita]]-[[Castanospermum|Castanospermum australe]]'' forests are a transition between rain forest and dry forest, and include some rain forest species. Forest of gaiac (''[[Acacia spirorbis]]'') is found in drier areas, with a canopy up to 15 meters high. Thickets and savannas of the introduced tree ''[[Leucaena leucocephala]]'' and grasslands are also found on the leeward sides of the islands.<ref name = wwf/>

Littoral forests include ''[[Casuarina equisetifolia]], [[Pandanus]]'' spp., ''[[Barringtonia asiatica]], [[Terminalia catappa]], [[Hernandia]]'' spp., and ''[[Thespesia populnea]]''.<ref name = wwf/>

Coastal [[mangrove]] forests are found on some islands, and contain species of ''[[Rhizophora]], [[Avicennia]], [[Sonneratia]], [[Xylocarpus]]'', and ''[[Ceriops]]''.<ref name = wwf/>

{{see also|:Category:Flora of Vanuatu|:Category:Endemic flora of Vanuatu|:Category:Flora of the Santa Cruz Islands}}