the flora of the peninsula includes original gondwanan species, plants that have emerged since the breakup of gondwana and species from indo-malaya and from across the torres strait in new guinea with the most variety being found in the rainforest areas. most of the cape york peninsula is drier than nearby new guinea which limits the rainforest plants of that island from migrating across to australia.[13] tropical rainforests cover an area of 748 000 ha, or 5.6 percent of the total land area of cape york peninsula.[14] rainforests depend on some level of rainfall throughout the long dry season, climatic conditions that are mostly found on the eastern slopes of the peninsula's coastal ranges. being almost exclusively untouched, old-growth forests and supporting a disproportionately high biodiversity including flora of gondwanan and new guinean origin, the rainforests are of high conservation significance.[11] the largest contiguous rainforest area on the peninsula occurs in the mcillwraith range-iron range area.[9] the gondwanan flora of this area includes araucariaceae and podocarpaceae conifers and arthrochilus, corybas, and calochilus orchids. in all, this rainforest contains at least 1000 different plants, including 100 rare or threatened species, and 16% of australia's orchid species.
