The Hawaiian jungles are a tropical moist broadleaf forestecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of in the windward lowlands and montaneregions of the islands. Coastal mesic forests are found at elevations from sea level to. Mixed mesic forests occur at elevations of, while wet forests are found from. Moist bogs and shrublands exist on montane plateaus and depressions. For the 28 million years of existence of the Hawaiian Islands, they have been isolated from the rest of the world by vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean, and this isolation has resulted in the evolution of an incredible diversity of endemic species, including fungi, mosses, snails, birds, and other wildlife. In the lush, moist forests high in the mountains, trees are draped with vines, orchids, ferns, and mosses. This ecoregion includes one of the world's wettest places, the slopes of Mount Waialeale, which average of rainfall per year.
Coastal mesic forests
al mesic forests are found on the windward slopes of the major islands from sea level to. These forests have been dominated by the native hala and hau and naturalized kukui and milo for the past 1,000–2,000 years. The Polynesian-introduced noni, pia, and kī are also common in this zone. Other native species include pololei, ākia, loulufan palms, ōhia lehua, and lama.
Mixed mesic forests
Mixed mesic forests, at on the windward slopes of the large islands in addition to the summit of Mount Lānaihale on Lānai, receive of rainfall annually and thus may not be true rainforests. The forest canopy, dominated by koa and ōhia lehua, is somewhat open, but tree density is rather high. Other trees and shrubs include pāpala, olopua, hame, mēhame, kōpiko, ōpiko, iliahi, hōlei, poolā, kōlea lau nui, kauila, nioi, aiai, and hōawa.
Wet forests
Wet forests generally occur from, but may be as low as. They receive of rain per year. Ōhia lehua is the dominant canopy species in wet forests, but koa is also very common. Other trees include kāwau, alani, ōhia ha, kōlea lau nui, ohe, and olomea as well as hāpuu. Apeape, oha wai, hāhā, kāmakahala, kanawao, Phyllostegia spp., ākala, kāmanamana, Pileapeploides, māmaki, olonā, and alaala wai nui are common understory plants. Vines include maile and hoi kuahiwi. Iei.e., puaakuhinia and ōlapa are epiphyticflowering plants found in wet forests. Epiphytic ferns, such as Adenophorus spp., ohiaku, Ophioglossumpendulum, ākaha, ēkaha, and makue lau lii, cover trees. Epyphytic mosses include Acroporium fuscoflavum, Rhizogonium spiniforme, and Macromitrium owahiense. Loulu fan palms may tower over the forest canopy.
Bogs
s are found in montane regions where rainfall exceeds drainage. Dominant vegetation in bogs are shrubs, sedges, and grasses. Larger shrubs and small trees grow on bog perimeters or on raised hummocks. Carex spp., Oreobolusfurcatus, and Rhynchosporarugosa are common sedges, shrubs include ōhelo kau laau and ōhelo, while grasses are represented by Dichanthelium spp. and Deschampsianubigena. Dwarf varieties of ōhia lehua are the most seen trees on the edges of bogs. The ferns wāwaeiole, amau, and uluhe grow in bogs. Rare plants include liliwai, naenae, and Argyroxiphium spp.
