The Madagascar ericoid thickets is a montane shrubland ecoregion, found at higher elevations on Madagascar's four major mountains.
Geography
The ecoregion covers the area above 1800 m elevation on (from north to south) Tsaratanana (2,876 m), Marojejy (2,133 m), Ankaratra (2,643 m), and Andringitra Massif (2,658 m). The ericoid thickets are surrounded at lower elevations by the Madagascar subhumid forests ecoregion. The total area of the ecoregion is . On Tsaratanana the thickets are higher up, starting above 2,500m. There are smaller areas of thicket in Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve in the north and Andohahela National Park to the south.
Characteristic shrubs of the ericoid thickets are from the plant families Asteraceae (species of Psiadia, Helichrysum, Stoebe, and Stenocline), Ericaceae (species of Erica, Agauria, and Vaccinium), Rhamnaceae (Phylica), and Rubiaceae. Low trees, widely-spaced, rise a little higher than the shrub canopy. Native trees include Agauria salicifolia, Ilex mitis, Neocussonia bojeri, Razafimandimbisonia minor, Dodonaea madagascariensis, Tambourissa gracilis, Podocarpus rostratus, Vitex humbertii, Faurea forficuliflora, Pittosporum sp., and several species of Pterophylla. Other plants include the arborescent monocots Dracaena reflexa and Pandanus alpestris. Lichens, mosses, grasses, sedges, and species of Impatiens inhabit the ground layer. Epiphytic mosses and lichens, along with a few small orchids, grow plentifully on the branches of shrubs and trees.