Structure, richness and floristic composition of the woody elements ofthe forests of the Golfo de Tribuga, Pacific Coast of Choco, Colombia, were studied in two 0.4 ha plots sampled for all individuals ?: 5 cm dbh and using also previously published information for one l-ha plot sampled in the same area. The forests are structurally homogeneous and are characterized by the prevalen ce of arborescent palms, the scarcity of lianas, and the high frequency of stilt roots. Compared to other forests from the Choco Biogeographic region, they have lower woody species richness (average 29 species > 10 cm dbh per 0.1 ha), fewer individuals (average 48 individuals ?: 10 cm dbh per 0.1 ha), more large trees (average 9.8% of individuals?: 40 cm dbh) and greater basal area (average 3.16 m- per 0.1 ha including individuals ?: 10 cm dbh). These differences seem to be consistent with a negative correlation between soil fertility Bosques del Golfo de Tribuga and tree density and richness. The distributions ofthe abundance ofspecies and families were similar for the plots, but similarity in tloristic composition was low. Only ten species 210 cm dbh were shared by all sites. Theecological importan ce ofthe Moraceae appears to be among the greatest ever recorded in the Neotropics (FIV=48.2-53.9 for individuals 2 10 cm dbh). Considering their structure and richness ofwoody plants, the forests at the Golfo de Tribuga are more similar to the forests at La Selva, Costa Rica, than to other forests with similar precipitation in the Choco Biogeographic region.