The Madagascar ericoid thickets is a montane shrublands ecoregion, found in the high mountains of Madagascar. Montane grasslands and shrublands is biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. ... An ecoregion is a relatively large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities. ... Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of Africa. ...

The ecoregion covers four separate mountain areas of Madagascar, Tsaratanana (2,876 m), Marojejy (2,133 m), Ankaratra (2,643 m), and Andringitra (2,658 m). The ericoid thickets are surrounded at lower elevations by the Madagascar subhumid forests ecoregion. The total area of the ecoregion is 1,300 sq. km. (500 square miles). The Madagascar subhumid forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion which covers most of the central highlands of the island of Madagascar. ...

The thickets are characterized by shrubs of the flowering plant families Ericaceae and Asteraceae. The thickets include a large number of endemic plants, many of whose closest relatives live in South Africa and the highlands of East Africa. Genera See text The plant Family Ericaceae (Heath Family) or ericaceous plants are mostly lime-hating or calcifuge plants that thrive in acid soils. ... Genera many, see list The aster or sunflower family (Family Asteraceae or, alternatively Family Compositae) is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants. ... The Republic of South Africa is a large republic located at the southern tip of the continent. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Eastern Africa ...