Shrubs

The other types of vegetation in New Caledonia are mainly brushland on mined land, thickets on metamorphic and sedimentary land, and savannah. The first two types have a similar appearance: almost impenetrable low formations, consisting of bushes and shrubs. They are plentiful at all altitudes.

Mining brushland is found up to 1 300 m and is composed mainly of bushes and shrubs varying in height from 50 cm to 6 or 8 m, with a few trees here and there, mainly Araucariaceae over 10 m in height.

These shrub formations also contain species from the Myrtaceae, Cunoniaceae, Cyperaceae and Epacridaceae families. Agathis ovata brushland is a scrub on mined land, a few metres tall and dominated by A. ovata (10-12 m tall), and is most widespread at about 500 m. The undergrowth is very thick.

Savannahs are mainly grassy formations on sedimentary and metamorphic land at low and medium altitudes (up to 800 m). They are the result of degradation of closed moist forest or sclerophyllous forest and cover large areas. They may be grass, shrub, or tree savannah, with or without niaouli, although the crown density never provides a cover of more than 10%. They comprise a grassy layer dotted with trees or bushes. Niaouli is usually predominant in the tree layer. Human factors, such as overgrazing, can lead to a brushwood growth that transforms the savannah into thickets with an often pure shrub layer; thus lignum vitae (Acacia spirorbis), false mimosa (Leucaena leucocephala) or guava (Psidium guajava) thickets are found.

last updated: Tuesday, January 13, 2004