Laurisiva forests are found in subtropical regions where the climate is characterized by high humidity and where mild temperatures are relatively stable throughout the year. Tree species are evergreen and characterized by elongated and glossy leaves that facilitate water dripping and allow perspiration and respiration. Many, but not all, belong to the Laurel family.
 
Many of the plant genera and species that now form laurisilva forests evolved during the Miocene and the Pliocene (23 to 2.5 M years ago) and were widespread through the tropics. With the drift of the continents and concurrent climate changes their geographical range contracted progressively. In Europe and Africa, for instance, where these forests were dominant, successive periods of draught during the Pliocene and cooling during the Ice Ages restricted these forests to a narrow region around the Mediterranean. Later, logging and fire used by man for timber and to clear areas for agriculture and pastures restricted their occurrence even further. Today, laurissilva forests occur in small enclaves in a subtropical belt around the world.
 
Several of such enclaves occur in the volcanic islands of the Macaronesia, to which the Madeira belongs. In these islands, the moist air of the Atlantic rises along the slopes and cause abundant rains, and exuberant laurisilva forests occurs from 400 to 1200 m of elevation. The Madeira Island laurisilva forest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.