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5 plants worth knowing

Tonga

The Kingdom of Tonga consists of more than 170 islands, most of them low coral islands on a limestone base, plus a few volcanic ones. Natural rainforest survives mainly on the island of ’Eua, and the rest of the landscape is made up of gardens, plantations and groves around villages, dominated by useful plants brought by the Polynesian settlers.

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

where it grows

  1. Heilala 1

    tree · National flower of Tonga

    Heilala

    Garcinia sessilis

    Heilala is Tonga’s noblest flower – garlands of its fragrant red blossoms are worn by the royal family and the nobility.
  2. Paper mulberry 2

    tree

    Paper mulberry

    Broussonetia papyrifera

    Tongan women beat hiapo bark into ngatu – huge tapa cloths without which no wedding, funeral or coronation takes place.
  3. Kava 3

    shrub

    Kava

    Piper methysticum

    The royal kava ceremony is Tonga’s most important ritual, and on ordinary evenings men drink kava in kalapu clubs, singing until dawn.
  4. Fiji fan palm 4

    palm

    Fiji fan palm

    Pritchardia pacifica

    Tonga’s native fan palm, with huge round leaves that were once made into fans and shelters from the rain.
  5. Coastal she-oak 5

    tree

    Coastal she-oak

    Casuarina equisetifolia

    The very hard wood of the toa was carved into Tonga’s famous war clubs – and the word toa also means a brave warrior.