Soils in these hills are shallow, well-drained, alkaline, and interspersed between outcrops of hard limestone. Mean annual precipitation varies from 150 to 200 centimeters. Two strata are present in this type of forest. The upper strata is composed of a continuous layer which extends up to 20 meters in height with a few emergent trees reaching 25 meters. The second strata reaches 10 meters in height and the number of deciduous species is low.
Most species are evergreen, with simple, microphyllous leaves.
Palm species may be common in this strata. The understory includes species such as Eugenia biflora , E . foetida , E . Forest management practices such as the establishment and maintenance of plantations, selective cutting, trail and road construction and maintenance, and shelter construction may affect the species. In addition, the extreme rarity of the species makes it vulnerable to natural catastrophes, such as the passage of Hurricane Hugo in 1989. All localities where the species occurs in the Caribbean National Forest were affected by the hurricane.