Macaronesian laurel forests (Laurus, Ocotea)

Description (English)

Humid to hyper-humid, mist-bound, luxuriant, evergreen, lauriphyllous forests of the cloud belt of the Macaronesian islands, extremely rich in floral and faunal species, among which many are restricted to these communities (Pruno-Lauretalia). Genera such as Picconia, Semele, Gesnouinia, Lactucosonchus, Ixanthus are entirely endemic to these communities, while others, such as Isoplexis, Visnea and Phyllis, reach in them their maximum development; in addition, each of the formations of the various archipelagos harbours distinctive endemic species.
This habitat type includes:
Lauriphyllous forests of the Azores (subtype 45.61 Ericetalia azorica p.), where the humid forests of the coastal areas (Myrico-Pittosporietum undulati p.) have been totally or almost totally degraded, largely invaded by the introduced Australian Pittosporum undulatum; a better representation survives of the hyper-humid forests (Culcito-Juniperion brevifoliae p.) of higher elevations.
Lauriphyllous forests of Madeira (subtype 45.62 Pruno-Lauretalia azorica) still occupying a relatively large surface, of the order of 10,000 ha.
Lauriphyllous forests of the Canary Islands (subtype 45.63 Ixantho-Laurion azoricae); the laurel forests of each island harbour a distinctive set of endemic plants and animals, as exemplified by the species of the composite genus Pericallis, the well-marked races of the chaffinch Fringilla coelebs or the carabid fauna.