PlantsMap

EN PL

5 plants worth knowing

Benin

Like Togo, Benin lies in the Dahomey Gap – a belt of savanna that reaches the coast and splits the rainforests of West Africa in two. The south is dominated by oil palm groves, lagoons and remnants of sacred forests, the centre by wooded savanna, and the north by dry savanna with shea trees, rônier palms and the Pendjari and W national parks.

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

where it grows

  1. Iroko 1

    tree · Sacred vodun tree – seat of the deity Loko

    Iroko

    Milicia excelsa

    A sacred vodun tree: the deity Loko lives in the iroko, and in the sacred Kpassè Forest in Ouidah a legendary king is said to have become one.
  2. African oil palm 2

    palm

    African oil palm

    Elaeis guineensis

    Palm oil built the wealth of the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century, and the palm’s sap is distilled into the famous spirit sodabi.
  3. Upland cotton 3

    crop

    Upland cotton

    Gossypium hirsutum

    Benin’s “white gold” – in recent years the country has grown into one of Africa’s largest cotton producers.
  4. Shea tree 4

    tree

    Shea tree

    Vitellaria paradoxa

    The shea tree grows on the savannas of central and northern Benin – its butter is the staple cooking fat and a cosmetic too.
  5. African palmyra palm 5

    palm

    African palmyra palm

    Borassus aethiopum

    The rônier palm forms picturesque groves on the savannas of Pendjari – its orange fruits attract elephants and baboons.