PlantsMap

EN PL

5 plants worth knowing

Barbados

Barbados is a flat island of coral limestone on the edge of the Caribbean, with a warm climate tempered by the trade winds. As early as the 17th century almost all of its original forest was cleared for sugarcane plantations, so natural vegetation survives mainly in deep ravines (“gullies”) and in Turner’s Hall Wood, while the landscape is shaped by cane fields, avenues of palms and flowering gardens.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Pride of Barbados 1

    shrub · National flower of Barbados, shown on the coat of arms

    Pride of Barbados

    Caesalpinia pulcherrima

    The “pride of Barbados” – a shrub with fiery red-and-yellow flowers and long stamens, found on the coat of arms and in almost every garden.
  2. Shortleaf fig 2

    tree · Tree on the coat of arms of Barbados; the island takes its name from it

    Shortleaf fig

    Ficus citrifolia

    A fig tree with a beard of aerial roots – it was this tree that led Portuguese sailors to name the island “Os Barbados”, “the bearded ones”.
  3. Sugarcane 3

    crop · Two crossed stalks of sugarcane in the crest of the coat of arms of Barbados

    Sugarcane

    Saccharum officinarum

    Sugarcane built Barbados – the Caribbean “sugar revolution” began here in the 17th century, and this is where rum was born.
  4. Caribbean royal palm 4

    palm

    Caribbean royal palm

    Roystonea oleracea

    One of the tallest palms in the world – its majestic avenues lead up to colonial estates and Codrington College.
  5. Acerola 5

    shrub

    Acerola

    Malpighia emarginata

    The “Barbados cherry” is a fruit with a record vitamin C content – dozens of times higher than an orange.