The forest biomes can be subdivided into the taiga, temperate and deciduous forests and rain forests. Conifers, shrubs, ferns and mosses grow in the boreal forests or taiga. In the hot, wet temperate forests conifers growing side-by-side with broadleafed trees and bushes while deciduous forest trees such as oak, beech and ash lose their leaves in winter to conserve energy. The rain forest is the fourth type of forest biome and it features a multitude of plants and trees. Shrubs and smaller plants and trees dot the forest floor, but tall trees form a canopy and are riddled with jungle vines.
Deserts and scrublands are another type of biome that can border each other. Short, woody, evergreen plants with fleshy leaves that hold moisture survive in the hot, dry scrublands. Here, flash fires can start spontaneously or through lightning strikes. They burn off old plants and make way for new. Deserts biomes receive very little rainfall. Cacti and different succulents are the only types of vegetation that can grow in these sandy or rocky regions. Grass, short shrubs and a few trees dot the hot and dry grassland biomes. The prairies, plains and savannas are examples of grassland biomes.
Not many plants or trees can survive in the inhospitable tundra biome where ice and snow covers most of the landscape. Tundra vegetation include lichens, mosses and sedges along with some short, hardy plants that grow in clumps to protect themselves from the wind. Although the growing season is extremely short, small flowering plants do grow rapidly during the summer.
All waterlogged areas such as bogs, swamps and marshes are wetland biomes. They can be covered in fresh or saltwater and are home to thousands of different types of grasses, reeds and plants. Freshwater in wetlands can often be covered with free-floating plants such as duckweed, or the edges of the wetlands may be surrounded by cattails and other tall grasses.