structural:expansion, linguistic:voice_change, stylistic:tone
Flora

The tropical and insular flora of La Réunion Island is characterized by its diversity, a very high rate of endemism and a very specific structure. The flora of La Réunion presents a great diversity of natural environments and species (up to 40 tree species/ha, compared to a temperate forest which has an average of 5/ha). This diversity is even more remarkable, but fragile, as it differs according to the environment (coastal, low, medium and high mountain).

La Réunion has a very high rate of endemic species, with more than 850 native plants (of natural origin and present before the arrival of humans), of which 232 are endemic to the La Réunion (only present on the island), as well as numerous species endemic to the Mascarene archipelago. Finally, the flora of La Réunion is distinguished from that of equatorial tropical forests by the low height and density of the canopy, probably due to adaptation to cyclones, and by a very specific vegetation, in particular a strong presence of epiphytic plants (growing on other plants), such as orchids, bromeliads and cacti, but also ferns, lichens and mosses.