It is characterized by vegetation that hardly exceeds 10 meters, with a large number of endemic plants and epiphytes. The trees are almost always covered with lichens, mosses, orchids among others. The leaves of the trees are small and coriaceous.

The foliage of the trees condenses the moisture in form of fine droplets that drain toward the base of the plant, thus elfin forests play an important role as a source of water during the dry season.