Flora/Vegatation in Virunga national park; Virunga’s strategic location at the frontier between various biogeographic zones offers it an upper hand to protect both tropical rainforest and eastern steppe species and its range of altitudes adds to the habitat variety. The diversity in flora includes: bamboo and Hagenia forest on the mountains; equatorial forest along the Semiliki; wooded savannah of the Rwindi; steppes; various low savannahs; swamps and transitional habitats; dry thick forest; Neoboutonia macrocalyx forest on the lava plains; wet thick forest; alpine forests; and sparse vegetation above 4,300 m comprising mainly lichens and spermatophyta, although Graminae have been found growing at over 5,000 m.