In northern Myanmar (formerly Burma) the forests have much in common with the equatorial rainforests of Malaysia. They are characteristic of lowland areas extending to an altitude of no more than about 600 m. North of Myitkyina, they fill the main valleys and extend over much of the Hkamti Plain. The main canopy trees are between 25 and 36 m tall and typically have unbranched, straight trunks. The canopy is often multi-coloured with many shades of green mixed with hues of bronze, purple, scarlet and yellow. Canopy trees typically include Dipterocarpus alatus, Mesua ferrea and Terminalia myriocarpus, while below these a lower storey comprises many small trees and shrubs such as Aporosa dioica, Baccaurea ramiflora, Callicarpa floribunda, Clerodendron nutans, Croton joufra, Kydia calycina, Mussaenda roxhburghii, Ordisia floribunda, Sarcosperma katchinense, Sterculia coccinea, Vernonia alpinii and Wendlandia tinctoria. Some of the more bizare looking species include the screw pine Pandanus furcata and the tall palm Caryota urens. The trees support many climbers like Aspidopterys obcordata, Beaumontia grandiflora, Thunburgia racemosa, Toxocarpus himalensis and the endemic Bauhinia pottingeri (Fabaceae). Along the the sandy river banks, often forming a belt in front of the jungle, occur a number of interesting plants including many endemic species such as Camellia stenophylla (Theaceae), Elaeagnus rivularis (Elaeagnaceae), Strobilanthes arenicolus (Acantaceae), Syzygium aciculinum and Syzygium cuttingii (Myrtaceae), while in the more stoney ground along the river edge the strange looking Cryptocoryne cruddasiana can be found. Other endemics found in these forests include Albizzia vernayana (Fabaceae), Agapetes wardii (Ericaceae) and Rauwolfia rivularis (Apocynaceae).

References

Chatterjee, D. 1939. Studies on the endemic flora of India and Burma. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, 5: 19-67.

Nath, P. C., Arunachalam, A., Khan, M. L., Arunachalum, K. & Barbhuiya, A. R. 2005. Vegetation analysis and tree population structure of tropical wet evergreen forest in and around Namdapha National Park, northeast India. Biodiversity and Conservation, 14: 2109-2136.

Rao, A. S.  1974. Vegetation and Phytogeography of Assam - Burma. In: Ecology and Biogeography in India. Ed. M. S. Mani. Dr W. Junk Publishers. The Hague.

Stamp, L. D. 1924. The Vegetation of Burma from an Ecological Standpoint. University of Rangoon.

Ward, F. K. 1944/45. A sketch of the botany and geography of north Burma. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, vol.44: 550-574, vol.45: 16-30, 133-148.

Ward, F. K. 1946. A sketch of the botany and geography of north Burma. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 46: 381-390.

Ward, F. K. 1946. Additional notes on the botany of North Burma. Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society, 71: 318-325.