PlantsMap

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8 plants worth knowing

Estonia

Estonia is a low-lying Baltic country where forests – mostly pine, spruce and birch – cover more than half the land, and peat bogs and other wetlands about a fifth. On the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa and on the limestone plateau of northern Estonia lie alvars – sparse grasslands with junipers and orchids, kept open for centuries by grazing. The long, light nights of June and the midsummer festival of Jaanipäev bind Estonian culture to nature and its cycles.

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

where it grows

  1. Cornflower 1

    flower · National flower of Estonia

    Cornflower

    Centaurea cyanus

    The blue flower of the rye fields, whose colour matches the blue stripe of the Estonian flag – Estonia’s national flower since 1968.
  2. Pedunculate oak 2

    tree · National tree of Estonia

    Pedunculate oak

    Quercus robur

    The sacred tree of the ancient Estonians – the venerable Tamme-Lauri oak once featured on the Estonian 10-kroon banknote.
  3. Common juniper 3

    shrub

    Common juniper

    Juniperus communis

    Columnar junipers dotting the limestone pastures of Saaremaa are a symbol of the Estonian islands – their wood is made into well-loved souvenirs.
  4. Rye 4

    crop

    Rye

    Secale cereale

    To an Estonian, “leib” – bread – always means dark rye bread; white wheat bread goes by an entirely different name.
  5. Bog cranberry 5

    dwarf shrub

    Bog cranberry

    Vaccinium oxycoccos

    Red cranberries glisten in autumn on the mossy bogs that cover a sizeable part of the country.
  6. Scots pine 6

    tree

    Scots pine

    Pinus sylvestris

    Estonia’s commonest tree – pinewoods on coastal dunes and bogs, from Lahemaa to Saaremaa, make up about a third of the country’s forests.
  7. Silver birch 7

    tree

    Silver birch

    Betula pendula

    On Jaanipäev, Estonian Midsummer, young birches are set up by front doors, and birch whisks are an essential part of the Estonian sauna.
  8. Norway spruce 8

    tree

    Norway spruce

    Picea abies

    Tallinn claims the first public Christmas tree stood in its Town Hall Square in 1441 – the spruce is one of the main trees of Estonia’s forests.