The study investigated the vegetation composition and structure of the Mount Cameroon cloud forest using two permanent 1-ha plots established at 2026 m and 1858 m elevation within the Etinde Community Forest. The research aimed to provide updated baseline information on this poorly studied ecosystem and establish permanent plots for future long-term ecological monitoring. A total of 4631 woody stems were recorded across all size classes, comprising 35 species, 29 genera, and 22 plant families. Of these, 1219 stems had diameters at breast height (DBH) ≥ 10 cm, while 73.7% belonged to smaller size classes, indicating active forest regeneration. The family Rubiaceae was the most species-rich and abundant, followed by Moraceae and Oleaceae. Species richness differed between plots. The lower-elevation plot (1858 m) contained 25 tree species compared with 19 species in the higher-elevation plot (2026 m), suggesting a decline in diversity with increasing altitude. Only nine species were common to both plots, indicating high species turnover and strong floristic heterogeneity. The regeneration layer (<10 cm DBH) comprised 3412 stems distributed among 15 families and 19 species, with Rubiaceae again dominating. The herbaceous layer contained 18 families, although only three families, Acanthaceae, Piperaceae, and Poaceae, occurred in both plots, demonstrating considerable understory heterogeneity. Diversity analyses revealed moderate species diversity but low evenness. Plot 2 showed higher species richness (50 species) and Shannon diversity (
= 1.9) than plot 1 (31 species;
= 1.6), while both plots exhibited high Simpson diversity values (0.9). Structural analyses indicated mature montane forest characteristics, with mean DBH ranging from 20.1 to 25.9 cm and basal areas of 30.5 - 52.1 m2？ha？1. Overall, the Mount Cameroon cloud forest exhibits low similarity between the two plots and high beta diversity (soresens index = 0.3), strong elevational zonation, active regeneration, and substantial conservation value, particularly as a refuge for the threatened species Prunus africana.
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