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5 plants worth knowing

Dominica

Dominica, known as the “Nature Island of the Caribbean”, is the most mountainous and most densely forested island of the Lesser Antilles: around two-thirds of it is covered by rainforest, cloud forest and stunted summit forest, and Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Abundant rainfall feeds hundreds of rivers and waterfalls, while dry scrub is found only in the rain shadow of the west coast.

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

where it grows

  1. Bwa kwaib 1

    shrub · National flower of Dominica

    Bwa kwaib

    Poitea carinalis

    An endemic shrub with scarlet, pea-like flowers – the “Carib wood” grows wild only on Dominica.
  2. Gommier 2

    tree

    Gommier

    Dacryodes excelsa

    The dominant tree of Dominica’s rainforest – the Kalinago still hollow out its trunks to make traditional boats.
  3. Bay rum tree 3

    tree

    Bay rum tree

    Pimenta racemosa

    Bay oil is distilled from the leaves of this tree – Dominica is one of the world’s leading producers of this fragrance.
  4. Key lime 4

    crop

    Key lime

    Citrus × aurantiifolia

    For nearly a century Dominica was a lime-growing heartland – the source of the juice for the famous “Rose’s Lime Juice”.
  5. Macaw flower 5

    herbaceous plant

    Macaw flower

    Heliconia bihai

    The red-and-yellow “lobster claws” of heliconia are a constant sight in Dominica’s forests – and food for the hummingbirds that co-evolved with them.