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5 plants worth knowing

Maldives

The Maldives consist of about 1,200 low coral islands grouped into 26 atolls, rising on average just a metre above sea level, with sandy, coral soils and no rivers. The flora is poor, made up mainly of tropical coastal plants spread by ocean currents and birds, plus species brought by people; the official national flower is the pink garden rose, and the island landscape is formed by coconut palms, pandanus and coastal scrub.

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

where it grows

  1. Coconut palm 1

    palm · National tree of the Maldives, featured on the national emblem

    Coconut palm

    Cocos nucifera

    The coconut palm appears on the Maldivian emblem and for centuries gave the islanders almost everything: food, roofs, rope and boats.
  2. Thatch screwpine 2

    tree

    Thatch screwpine

    Pandanus tectorius

    The pandanus stands on its roots as if on stilts, and its orange fruits look like pineapples.
  3. Tamanu 3

    tree

    Tamanu

    Calophyllum inophyllum

    The hard wood of the funa tree was used to build traditional Maldivian boats and mosques, and its seeds yield precious tamanu oil.
  4. Breadfruit 4

    tree

    Breadfruit

    Artocarpus altilis

    Breadfruit fried in thin slices is a favourite Maldivian snack – bambukeyo chips.
  5. Beach naupaka 5

    shrub

    Beach naupaka

    Scaevola taccada

    The magoo shrub, whose flowers look as if cut in half, forms a green wall that shields island shores from wind and salt.