PlantsMap

EN PL

8 plants worth knowing

Paraguay

The Paraguay River divides the country into two very different lands: to the west stretches the sparsely populated Chaco, with thorny dry forests, palm savannas and wetlands, and to the east lies a more humid region with remnants of the Atlantic Forest, grasslands and floodplains. Many plants here are known by their names in Guarani, a language spoken by most of the population.

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

where it grows

  1. Yerba mate 1

    tree

    Yerba mate

    Ilex paraguariensis

    The leaves of this holly are yerba mate – in Paraguay most often drunk cold as tereré, a UNESCO-listed tradition.
  2. Blue passion flower 2

    climber · National flower of Paraguay

    Blue passion flower

    Passiflora caerulea

    Mburucuyá – the intricate white-and-blue passion flower is Paraguay’s national flower and the heroine of a Guarani legend.
  3. Pink lapacho 3

    tree · Unofficial national tree of Paraguay

    Pink lapacho

    Handroanthus impetiginosus

    In winter the leafless lapacho is cloaked in pink flowers, and the streets of Asunción turn into pink tunnels.
  4. Stevia 4

    perennial

    Stevia

    Stevia rebaudiana

    The Guarani “sweet herb” – stevia leaves are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, and the plant comes from the hills of north-eastern Paraguay.
  5. Caranday palm 5

    palm

    Caranday palm

    Copernicia alba

    Slender karanda’y palms stand in their thousands on the flooded savannas of the Chaco – the most characteristic sight of western Paraguay.
  6. Cassava 6

    crop

    Cassava

    Manihot esculenta

    Boiled mandi’o is on the table at almost every meal in Paraguay, and cassava starch is the basis of chipa and mbejú.
  7. Macaúba palm 7

    palm

    Macaúba palm

    Acrocomia aculeata

    The spiny mbokaja palm provides oil, coquito treats and fragrant flowers that Paraguayans use to decorate their Christmas nativity scenes.
  8. Palo santo 8

    tree

    Palo santo

    Bulnesia sarmientoi

    The heavy, fragrant palo santo wood of the dry Chaco is a valuable Paraguayan raw material for crafts and the perfume industry.