Laurissilva
The word laurissilva derives from the latin “Laurus” (laurel) and ”Silva” (Forest / woods).
The Laurissilva forest or Laurel forest is a subtropical or mild temperate forest, found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. They are characterized by evergreen, glossy-leaved trees, with members of the Laurel family (Lauraceae) prominent, either as the predominant trees or in association with other species.
Laurel forests occur in small areas where their particular climatic requirements prevail, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Northern hemisphere laurel forests include the laurisilva forests of the Azores, Madeira Islands, and Canary Islands, the laurel forests of southern Japan, and the North Western Ghats montane rain forests of western India. The Madeira Islands laurel forest was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.
The Madeiran forest spreads over 15.000 acres with a high index of plant diversity per km². The most common plants are evidently Lauraceaes such as the Laurus novocanariensis, the persea indica, the ocotea foetens and the apollonias barbujana.
Laurissilva goes back to the Miocene and Pliocene epoch, 20 millions of years ago. In that time the forest occupied all the area of the nowadays Mediterranean bay, south of Europe and north of Africa.
Nowadays laurissilva survives in just a few of the archipelagos that form the macaronesia, namely in the Portuguese archipelagos of Azores and Madeira, and in the Spanish archipelago of Canary.
In Azores the presence of the forest is residual in the island of Sao Miguel, while in the Madeira archipelago it is found in the main island of the archipelago (Madeira island), Where the endemic specie Teucrium abutiloides can be found. In Madeira the laurissival, approximately 15.000 acres, occupies 20% of the island, concentrating itself mainly in the northern coast in altitudes, between 300meters and 1400 meters, and on south coasts with altitudes between 700meters and 1600meters.