PlantsMap

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5 plants worth knowing

Panama

Panama, the narrow isthmus joining the two Americas, is where the floras of the northern and southern continents mingle. Humid tropical forests still cover much of the country – from the Darién jungle on the border with Colombia to the forests around the Panama Canal, which protect its water supply. Cloud forests grow in the western Chiriquí highlands, dry forest and pasture cover the Azuero Peninsula on the Pacific side, and both coasts are fringed with mangroves.

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

where it grows

  1. Holy Ghost orchid 1

    orchid · National flower of Panama (since 1980)

    Holy Ghost orchid

    Peristeria elata

    Inside its white flower you can see a tiny dove – hence its Spanish name, “flower of the Holy Spirit”.
  2. Panama tree 2

    tree · National tree of Panama (since 1969)

    Panama tree

    Sterculia apetala

    According to one theory, this mighty tree gave its name to the country and its capital.
  3. Arabica coffee 3

    crop

    Arabica coffee

    Coffea arabica

    Panamanian Geisha coffee from Boquete breaks price records at auction – buyers have already paid thousands of dollars for a kilo of beans.
  4. Cuipo 4

    tree

    Cuipo

    Cavanillesia platanifolia

    A giant with a column-like trunk and a flat crown – the cuipo rises above the forest canopy around the Panama Canal.
  5. Phytelephas seemannii 5

    palm

    Phytelephas seemannii

    Phytelephas seemannii

    The “vegetable ivory” palm – the Wounaan and Emberá peoples carve its hard seeds into miniature animals.