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10 plants worth knowing

Venezuela

Venezuela brings together strikingly different landscapes: the Andean peaks of Mérida, the endless savannas of the Llanos along the Orinoco, the xerophytic scrub of the Caribbean coast, the swamp forests of the Orinoco Delta and the Guiana Highlands with their flat-topped table mountains – the tepuis. On isolated tepui summits such as Roraima and Auyán-tepui grow many endemics found nowhere else.

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

where it grows

  1. Araguaney 1

    tree · National tree of Venezuela

    Araguaney

    Handroanthus chrysanthus

    In the dry season the leafless crowns of the araguaney burst into gold – whole hillsides and savannas of Venezuela turn yellow.
  2. Easter orchid 2

    orchid · National flower of Venezuela

    Easter orchid

    Cattleya mossiae

    The “May flower” – a fragrant lilac orchid from the mountain forests, Venezuela’s national flower since 1951.
  3. Cacao 3

    crop

    Cacao

    Theobroma cacao

    Venezuelan criollo cacao – such as that from Chuao, a village reachable only by sea – is considered among the finest in the world.
  4. Moriche palm 4

    palm

    Moriche palm

    Mauritia flexuosa

    For the Warao people it is the “tree of life” – the moriche palm gives them food, fibre for hammocks and timber for their stilt houses.
  5. Heliamphora nutans 5

    herbaceous plant

    Heliamphora nutans

    Heliamphora nutans

    A carnivorous pitcher plant from the tepui summits – it lives on the rocks of Roraima, where it rains every day and there is hardly any soil.
  6. Maize 6

    crop

    Maize

    Zea mays

    Maize is made into the arepa – a round flatbread that Venezuelans eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
  7. Rain tree 7

    tree

    Rain tree

    Samanea saman

    The Samán de Güere in Aragua, described by Humboldt and revered as Bolívar’s tree, is Venezuela’s most famous tree.
  8. Arabica coffee 8

    crop

    Arabica coffee

    Coffea arabica

    For most of the 19th century coffee was Venezuela’s main source of wealth – before oil came to dominate the country.
  9. Rosy trumpet tree 9

    tree

    Rosy trumpet tree

    Tabebuia rosea

    In the dry season the apamate is covered in pink flowers, turning the avenues of Caracas into colourful tunnels.
  10. Llanera palm 10

    palm

    Llanera palm

    Copernicia tectorum

    A fan palm of the flooded savannas of the Llanos – its leaves have thatched the huts of the llaneros for centuries.