Sambirano

It has a distinctive lowland climate with year-round rain, differing from the rest of seasonally-dry western and northern Madagascar.

The convergence of easterly wind currents in the lee of the Tsaratanana Massif is responsible for the Sambirano region's higher rainfall.

There is a middle stratum of smaller, shade-tolerant trees, and a sparse understory of ferns, dwarf palms, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.

Secondary forest, known as savoka, grows in areas which were cleared for shifting cultivation and then left fallow.

Introduced species are increasingly common, including citrus, Psidium (guava), and the bamboo Cathariostachys capitata.