PlantsMap

EN PL

10 plants worth knowing

Egypt

About 95% of Egypt is desert – its vegetation is concentrated in the Nile Valley and Delta and in the scattered oases of the Western Desert. For thousands of years the landscape has been shaped by crops grown with the waters of the Nile, and the ancient Egyptians made papyrus and the lotus the symbols of Lower and Upper Egypt.

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

where it grows

  1. Papyrus 1

    aquatic plant · Symbol of Lower Egypt

    Papyrus

    Cyperus papyrus

    From papyrus stems the Egyptians made history’s first paper-like writing material – and the plant was the emblem of Lower Egypt.
  2. Egyptian white water lily 2

    aquatic plant · National flower of Egypt (alongside the blue lotus)

    Egyptian white water lily

    Nymphaea lotus

    The white Egyptian lotus opens its flowers at night – to the ancients it symbolised rebirth, and today it is regarded as Egypt’s national flower.
  3. Date palm 3

    palm

    Date palm

    Phoenix dactylifera

    Egypt is the world’s largest producer of dates – palms grow all along the Nile and in the oases of the Western Desert.
  4. Egyptian cotton 4

    crop

    Egyptian cotton

    Gossypium barbadense

    Egyptian cotton, with its exceptionally long fibres, is considered the finest in the world – it is made into luxury bed linen and shirts.
  5. Doum palm 5

    palm

    Doum palm

    Hyphaene thebaica

    A palm with a forked trunk and fruits that taste of gingerbread – its fruits were even found in Tutankhamun’s tomb.
  6. Blue Egyptian lotus 6

    aquatic plant · National flower of Egypt (alongside the white lotus)

    Blue Egyptian lotus

    Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea

    To the ancient Egyptians the blue lotus, with its starry flowers that open at dawn, was a symbol of the sun and the birth of the world.
  7. Broad bean 7

    crop

    Broad bean

    Vicia faba

    Stewed broad beans – ful medames – are Egypt’s national breakfast, eaten with baladi bread from Alexandria to Aswan.
  8. Sycamore fig 8

    tree

    Sycamore fig

    Ficus sycomorus

    The sycamore fig was the sacred tree of the goddess Hathor – its durable wood was carved into coffins and statues in the age of the pharaohs.
  9. Jute mallow 9

    crop

    Jute mallow

    Corchorus olitorius

    Jute leaves are cooked into molokhia – a slippery green soup without which an Egyptian lunch is hard to imagine.
  10. Roselle 10

    crop

    Roselle

    Hibiscus sabdariffa

    Karkadeh, a red infusion made from roselle calyces, is Aswan’s favourite drink – served cold in summer and hot in winter.