Identity:

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. 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 archipelagoes harbours distinctive endemic species. Laurel forests are the most complex and remarkable relict of the humid sub-tropical vegetation of the Mioceno-Pliocene late Tertiary of southern Europe. Areas of intact forests have been drastically reduced to a level below which the preservation of their elements could not be sustained.