PlantsMap

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10 plants worth knowing

Ukraine

Most of Ukraine is covered by forest-steppe and steppe on fertile black earth (chernozem) – now largely turned into fields of cereals and sunflowers. In the north lies marshy Polesia with its pine forests, in the west the Carpathians with beech woods and polonyna mountain meadows, while on the southern coast of Crimea the vegetation has a Mediterranean character.

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

where it grows

  1. Guelder rose 1

    shrub · National symbol of Ukraine

    Guelder rose

    Viburnum opulus

    The red berry clusters of the kalyna are one of Ukraine’s oldest symbols – celebrated in the song “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna”.
  2. Sunflower 2

    crop · Unofficial national flower of Ukraine

    Sunflower

    Helianthus annuus

    Ukraine is the world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil – in summer yellow fields stretch to the horizon.
  3. Common wheat 3

    crop · The yellow field of Ukraine’s flag is traditionally read as a field of grain under a blue sky

    Common wheat

    Triticum aestivum

    The “breadbasket of Europe” – Ukrainian wheat from the black-earth lands feeds millions of people from North Africa to Asia.
  4. White willow 4

    tree

    White willow

    Salix alba

    “Without the willow and the kalyna there is no Ukraine,” says the proverb – and pollard willows by ponds are the classic Ukrainian village scene.
  5. Horse chestnut 5

    tree · Symbol of Kyiv

    Horse chestnut

    Aesculus hippocastanum

    Horse chestnuts blooming in May along Khreshchatyk are Kyiv’s calling card – a chestnut leaf features in the city’s logo.
  6. Sour cherry 6

    crop

    Sour cherry

    Prunus cerasus

    “Sadok vyshnevyi kolo khaty” – the cherry orchard by a white cottage from Taras Shevchenko’s poem is one of the most Ukrainian of images.
  7. Pedunculate oak 7

    tree

    Pedunculate oak

    Quercus robur

    A tree of strength and longevity – the Zaporozhian Oak stood for centuries on Khortytsia, where legend says the Cossacks wrote their letter to the sultan.
  8. Lesser periwinkle 8

    dwarf shrub

    Lesser periwinkle

    Vinca minor

    Evergreen periwinkle is the Ukrainian symbol of faithful love and enduring life – no bridal wreath or korovai wedding bread was complete without it.
  9. Common poppy 9

    flower · Symbol of remembrance of the victims of World War II in Ukraine (since 2014)

    Common poppy

    Papaver rhoeas

    Since 2014 a stylised red poppy has been Ukraine’s symbol of remembrance for the victims of World War II, worn on the anniversary of its end.
  10. European beech 10

    tree

    European beech

    Fagus sylvatica

    Ukraine’s Carpathian beech forests, including the Uholka–Shyrokyi Luh massif, are UNESCO World Heritage – among Europe’s best-preserved beech woods.