PlantsMap

EN PL

5 plants worth knowing

Nicaragua

Nicaragua, the largest country in Central America, falls into three vegetation zones: the dry Pacific lowlands with their chain of volcanoes and the great lakes of Nicaragua and Managua; the cooler central highlands with pine–oak forests and coffee plantations; and the humid Caribbean lowlands with pine savannas and rainforests. The Bosawás and Indio Maíz reserves protect some of the largest continuous tropical forests north of the Amazon.

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

where it grows

  1. Frangipani 1

    tree · National flower of Nicaragua (since 1971)

    Frangipani

    Plumeria rubra

    The fragrant white-and-yellow flowers of the sacuanjoche are Nicaragua’s national flower – woven into garlands for festivals and weddings.
  2. Madroño 2

    tree · National tree of Nicaragua (since 1971)

    Madroño

    Calycophyllum candidissimum

    The national tree, with smooth orange bark, which in December is cloaked in white with tiny, fragrant flowers.
  3. Arabica coffee 3

    crop

    Arabica coffee

    Coffea arabica

    Mountainous Jinotega and Matagalpa are Nicaragua’s “coffee capitals” – the source of most of the beans the country exports.
  4. Mexican calabash 4

    tree

    Mexican calabash

    Crescentia alata

    A tree whose hard, round fruits grow straight from the trunk – their shells are made into traditional cups for pinolillo.
  5. Caribbean pine 5

    tree

    Caribbean pine

    Pinus caribaea

    A pine of the hot tropics – it forms the vast savannas of the Mosquitia, the largest pine savannas in Central America.