Hawaiian tropical high shrublands
The Hawaiian tropical high shrublands are a tropical savanna ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of on the upper slopes of the volcanoes Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai, and Haleakalā. They include open shrublands, grasslands, and deserts. Shrubland species include āheahea, ōhelo ai, naenae, and iliahi. Alpine grasslands are dominated by tussock grasses, such as Deschampsia nubigena, Eragrostis atropioides, Panicum tenuifolium, and pili uka. Deserts occur on the coldest and driest peaks, where only extremely hardy plants such as āhinahina and Dubautia species are able to grow. The nēnē is one of the few birds found in alpine shrublands, while uau nest in this ecoregion.
