Veracruz montane forests
The Veracruz montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in eastern Mexico. It includes a belt of montane tropical forest on the eastern slope of the southern Sierra Madre Oriental and eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt ranges. These forests lie between the lowland Veracruz moist forests and the pine-oak forests of the higher mountains.
The Veracruz montane forests are the northernmost tropical montane moist forests in North America.
Flora
The forests are composed of evergreen broadleaf trees, which form a closed canopy. Epiphytes, including orchids, bromeliads, mosses, and lichens, are abundant.The upper and lower montane forests vary somewhat in species composition. Lower montane forests predominate between 1,250 and 1,630 meters elevation. Characteristic trees are Clethra macrophylla, Liquidambar styraciflua, and Turpinia insignis, with Quercus sartorii, Quercus xalapensis, Carpinus tropicalis, and others.
In the upper montane forests Prunus rhamnoides and Quercus corrugata are the predominant species from 1800 to 2250 meters elevation, together with Cleyera theaeoides, Ternstroemia sylvatica, Weinmannia intermedia, Clethra schlechtendalii, and others. Forests dominated by Fagus grandifolia also grow in the upper montane zone, mostly between 1800 and 1900 meters elevation, with Ternstroemia sylvatica, Vaccinium leucanthum, Persea americana, and Oreopanax xalapensis.
Fauna
Mammals native to the ecoregion include the six species of large cats – jaguar, ocelot, margay, puma, jaguarundi, and bobcat. Hoofed mammals include the white-tailed deer, red brocket, and collared peccary. other mammals include the ringtail, long-tailed weasel, kinkajou, tayra, Mexican tree porcupine, nine-banded armadillo, and northern tamandua.Native birds include the military macaw, great curassow, crested guan, white-crowned parrot, red-tailed hawk, and many neotropical migratory birds.