PlantsMap

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5 plants worth knowing

Belize

Belize is one of the most forested countries in Central America – forests still cover more than half its land area. In the south and west grow the humid tropical forests of the Maya Mountains; pine savannas stretch across the granite plateau of Mountain Pine Ridge and the lowlands; and the coast and hundreds of islets (cayes) are fringed with mangroves that protect the world’s second-largest barrier reef.

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

where it grows

  1. Big-leaf mahogany 1

    tree · National tree of Belize; on the national coat of arms and the flag

    Big-leaf mahogany

    Swietenia macrophylla

    The tree that built the colony of British Honduras – mahogany features on Belize’s coat of arms with the motto “Sub umbra floreo”.
  2. Cockleshell orchid 2

    orchid · National flower of Belize

    Cockleshell orchid

    Prosthechea cochleata

    An orchid with a “seashell” – its almost black lip looks like a clam, and it flowers on tree branches for much of the year.
  3. Cohune palm 3

    palm

    Cohune palm

    Attalea cohune

    A palm with leaves several metres long – farmers say it always grows where the soil is richest.
  4. Sapodilla 4

    tree

    Sapodilla

    Manilkara zapota

    The tree whose sap gave the first chewing gum – Belizean “chicleros” collected it by slashing zigzags into the trunks.
  5. Red mangrove 5

    tree

    Red mangrove

    Rhizophora mangle

    A tree on stilts – red mangroves protect the Belizean coast and serve as a “nursery” for fish from the barrier reef.