What to call this fantasy biome?

[Jabrosky]

In one of my settings I have a particular kind of luxuriant vegetation that grows in the tropics and receives frequent rainfall all year round, yet I don't know if I could actually call it a jungle or rainforest. The issue is that it doesn't have a closed, continuous canopy like a proper rainforest. Instead the big trees are widely scattered between a rolling carpet of thick undergrowth. I created this type of environment as a habitat for a rich diversity of large reptiles, who I feel need more undergrowth and yet more space to move around than a conventional rainforest would allow.

Concept art for this type of landscape here in my art thread

If I can't call this fantasy biome a rainforest or jungle, what would be a good alternative name for it?

 

[WooHooMan]

Tropical forest? Jungle is a very loose term and can be applied to nearly any warm area with a lot of trees.

 

[Nihal]

Unless you feel the need to classify this forest, you can always name it like we name it in our world: Less as a technical definition and more focused on some feature of the land or based on location itself.

Your forest reminds me of the atlantic forest, by the way. It's mostly coastal, hence the name, having a lot of undergrowth and trees of diverse species and heights, although the trees usually are quite close. Well, there are some robust species of trees, but many thin that would present no challenge to larger reptiles, so, it's an interesting information to keep in mind.

 

[Jabrosky]

The more I think about it, "jungle" will work just fine. It's not like the distinction matters so much in the long run.

Your forest reminds me of the atlantic forest, by the way. It's mostly coastal, hence the name, having a lot of undergrowth and trees of diverse species and heights, although the trees usually are quite close. Well, there are some robust species of trees, but many thin that would present no challenge to larger reptiles, so, it's an interesting information to keep in mind.

I actually had coastal West Africa (e.g. countries like Benin, Nigeria, or Ghana) in mind for my setting's cultural influence, but now that I think about it that has a similar geographic circumstance to the South American coastal forest you mentioned (i.e. they're both jungles growing along the Atlantic Ocean). I have no idea if the Guinean forests of West Africa resemble their South counterparts in any way though.

 

[Jess A]

Go with forest or jungle. If you stick with forest, you can describe your characters complaining about humidity or rainfall (for example) - and I think most readers will get the idea that it's kind of a jungle, or it's Cretaceous/Jurassic (etc) in nature, if you describe some basic tree types or the fact there are dinosaurs. I don't think you need to find any special name for it. Art looks cool, by the way!

 

[mbartelsm]

Open rainforest? Tropical woodlands? Low rainforest? Maybe the more "correct" Tropical savanna (Savanna - Wikipedia)?

This may help you for future reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecozone, just do the typical wiki walk and you will find what you are looking for

 

[Asura Levi]

From you description, for all I know is jungle. If it is slight like the photo Nihal posted, JUNGLE definitely.

 

[Chad Lynch]

If it's all she's ever known she would probably just call it the forest, woods, or the bush. Assuming she's not well traveled she wouldn't know pine barrens from chilly red woods from steamy jungle.

The mix between open spaces and woods/under growth seems right. There's actually a relatively sparse population of large animals in canopied jungles. Clearings and forest edges is where the action is.

 

[Gurkhal]

I don't think that you really need some special form for it unless you have characters who experienced other kinds of forests. But in that case I would suggest that may you could call it "Sun Forest" for the fact that its fairly open and don't produce all that much warmth?

 

[SmokeScribe98]

Forests of the wild endeavour