PlantsMap

EN PL

5 plants worth knowing

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico, the smallest of the Greater Antilles, packs a surprisingly varied range of vegetation into a small area: from the humid El Yunque rainforest in the north-east, through karst hills with forests on limestone mogotes, to the dry Guánica forest on the south coast. The island is fringed with mangroves, and gardens and roadsides are dominated by flowering trees that have become part of Puerto Rican identity.

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

where it grows

  1. Maga 1

    tree · National flower of Puerto Rico

    Maga

    Thespesia grandiflora

    An endemic tree with huge, crimson, hibiscus-like flowers – the official national flower of Puerto Rico.
  2. Kapok tree 2

    tree · National tree of Puerto Rico

    Kapok tree

    Ceiba pentandra

    The monumental, buttressed ceiba was the sacred tree of the Taíno, and today it is the national tree of Puerto Rico.
  3. Royal poinciana 3

    tree

    Royal poinciana

    Delonix regia

    In summer the crowns of the flamboyán blaze scarlet – the tree has become one of the most recognisable images of Puerto Rico.
  4. Gommier 4

    tree

    Gommier

    Dacryodes excelsa

    The dominant tree of El Yunque’s lower forest – the Taíno burned its aromatic resin in torches.
  5. Sierran palm 5

    palm

    Sierran palm

    Prestoea acuminata

    In El Yunque this mountain palm forms almost single-species groves that recover from hurricanes faster than other trees.