an open woodland in a tropical area that has a long dry season followed by a season of heavy rainfall —synonym tropical deciduous forest —note 1. trees in a monsoon forest usually shed their leaves during the dry season and come into leaf at the start of the rainy season —note 2. many lianas (woody vines) and herbaceous epiphytes are present in such forests —note 3. monsoon forests are especially well developed in Southeast Asia and are typified by tall teak trees and thickets of bamboo —see rainforestThis definition last updated 07/20/2008