Cloud forest

• Title

  Cloud forest

• Definition

  A mid-elevation vegetation type often covered in clouds. Cloud forest is dominated by low, snarled trees covered with mosses and liverworts. Species of orchids are abundant in this vegetation type and tree ferns are often conspicuous. Depending on local climate, distance from the sea, and isolation from other mountain ranges, cloud forest can be found between 500 and 4000 meters but it is most frequent between 1000 and 2000 meters.

• *For more educational content, please visit The Hand Lens and explore our herbarium collections and the stories they tell.