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10 plants worth knowing

Germany

Germany lies at the heart of Central Europe’s broadleaf forest zone – left untouched by people, most of the country would be covered in beech forest. Today forests cover almost a third of its area, with spruce and pine dominating the plantations; heathlands and peat bogs stretch across the north, while the south has its low mountain ranges and the Bavarian Alps. The forest holds a special place in German culture – from the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm to Romantic painting.

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

where it grows

  1. Pedunculate oak 1

    tree · National tree of Germany; an oak sprig appears on the 1, 2 and 5 euro cent coins

    Pedunculate oak

    Quercus robur

    The “German oak” has been a national symbol since the Romantic era – its leaves adorn German euro cents and military decorations.
  2. Cornflower 2

    flower · Unofficial national flower of Germany

    Cornflower

    Centaurea cyanus

    The blue flower of the cornfields, Emperor William I’s favourite flower and a romantic symbol of Prussia.
  3. European beech 3

    tree

    European beech

    Fagus sylvatica

    Without people Germany would be a land of beech forests – five German beech woods are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
  4. Silver fir 4

    tree

    Silver fir

    Abies alba

    The tree that gave the Black Forest its dark colour – and the heroine of the carol “O Tannenbaum”.
  5. Hop 5

    crop

    Hop

    Humulus lupulus

    Without hops there would be no German beer – Bavaria’s Hallertau is the largest hop-growing area in the world.
  6. Norway spruce 6

    tree

    Norway spruce

    Picea abies

    For two centuries spruce was the “bread tree” of German forestry, and it still covers vast tracts of Bavaria, the Black Forest and the Harz.
  7. Small-leaved lime 7

    tree

    Small-leaved lime

    Tilia cordata

    “Am Brunnen vor dem Tore, da steht ein Lindenbaum” – the lime is the tree of German villages, songs and Berlin’s Unter den Linden.
  8. Grapevine 8

    crop

    Grapevine

    Vitis vinifera

    Riesling grows on the steep slopes above the Moselle and the Rhine – Germany has the largest area planted with it in the world.
  9. Potato 9

    crop

    Potato

    Solanum tuberosum

    Frederick the Great ordered potatoes to be grown in Prussia – tourists now lay them on his grave at Sanssouci, and Germany is the EU’s top producer.
  10. Asparagus 10

    crop

    Asparagus

    Asparagus officinalis

    From April to 24 June Germany celebrates “Spargelzeit” – the season of white asparagus, known here as the “royal vegetable”.