The most striking difference between tropical rain forests and temperate forests is that:

Question

Accepted Answer

The tropical rain forests have preponderance of angiosperms while the temperate ones have preponderance of gymnosperms. Tropical rainforests are dominated by broad-leaved angiosperms, whereas temperate forests (especially boreal/taiga) are characterized by a high proportion of gymnosperms like conifers. This is a standard ecological distinction.