Balinese Gardens. William Warren

but highly seasonal nature of Bali's climate. The moist deciduous forest, along with virtually all other forest types on Bali, has been drastically reduced in extent.

      Straddling the border between the land and the sea are man-grove forests, mainly growing in tidal flats around Benoa Bay Many have now been reclaimed and only around 5 square km of mangrove forest still exist on Bali; it is quite likely that they were never very extensive. Bali's sandy beaches are dominated by the purple-flowered Morning Glory (Ipomoea pescaprae) along with other creeping plants which help to stabilise the sand. In some areas, the shoreline forests are dominated by Barringtonia asiatica and Screwpine (Pandanus tectorius), Yellow Beach Hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus), Cycads (Cycas rumphii) and other salt-tolerant species.

      Lowland forests were formerly common in most inland areas. The limestone forests of the southern coasts are almost entirely cleared or degraded, and most of the area is now scrub dominated by introduced plants such as Lantana and the composite Chromolaena (formerly known as Eupatorium).