Top 10 Editors’ pick
10 plants on national flags and coats of arms – editors’ pick
A maple leaf, a cedar, a cactus, a baobab: plants are some of the oldest national symbols. We picked ten from ten countries – each with the story of how it got onto the flag or the coat of arms. This is an editors’ pick, not a measurement.
How this list was made
This is an editors’ pick, not a measurement: a subjective selection with a short reason for each place.
- Criterion
- Editors’ choice: plants shown on a national flag or coat of arms (one per country), with a different story behind each.
- Source
- PlantsMap editors
- As of
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Photo: Superior National Forest · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Sugar maple
Canada
- Scientific name
- Acer saccharum
- Type
- tree
Why it’s here: A stylised maple leaf has been on Canada’s flag since 1965 and the maple has been the official national tree since 1996; Canada produces over 70% of the world’s maple syrup.
The maple leaf on the flag of Canada; the maple is the official national tree (since 1996). The tree whose sap becomes maple syrup, and whose fiery autumn leaves have become a symbol of all Canada.
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Photo: Olivier BEZES · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons Lebanon cedar
Lebanon
- Scientific name
- Cedrus libani
- Type
- tree
Why it’s here: The cedar is Lebanon’s most important symbol – on the flag, the coat of arms and coins; the Cedars of God grove in the Qadisha Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Emblem on the flag and coat of arms of Lebanon. The green cedar on Lebanon’s flag is the tree used to build Solomon’s Temple and Phoenician ships.
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Photo: YG01 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Prickly pear
Mexico
- Scientific name
- Opuntia ficus-indica
- Type
- cactus
Why it’s here: The nopal cactus is part of Mexico’s coat of arms in the centre of the flag, and a staple of Mexican cooking.
The nopal on the coat of arms and flag of Mexico. The cactus on Mexico’s coat of arms – legend says the Aztecs founded Tenochtitlán where an eagle perched on a nopal was devouring a snake.
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Photo: Abhishek Jacob at Malayalam Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Nutmeg
Grenada
- Scientific name
- Myristica fragrans
- Type
- tree
Why it’s here: Nutmeg trees reached Grenada in 1843 and became the mainstay of its economy – a stylised nutmeg sits on the national flag.
The nutmeg fruit appears on the flag of Grenada. The nutmeg fruit appears on the national flag – Grenada is one of the world’s largest producers of nutmeg.
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Photo: jayeshpatil912 · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Big-leaf mahogany
Belize
- Scientific name
- Swietenia macrophylla
- Type
- tree
Why it’s here: Mahogany logging was the mainstay of the colony for two centuries; woodcutters support Belize’s coat of arms, which appears on the flag, and the motto refers to the mahogany tree.
National tree of Belize; on the national coat of arms and the flag. The tree that built the colony of British Honduras – mahogany features on Belize’s coat of arms with the motto “Sub umbra floreo”.
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Photo: Myriam Louviot (MyriamLouviot) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons African baobab
Senegal
- Scientific name
- Adansonia digitata
- Type
- tree
Why it’s here: The baobab stands beside a lion on Senegal’s coat of arms and is the most recognisable feature of the country’s landscape; its fruit pulp makes the popular bouye juice.
The tree on Senegal’s coat of arms. The tree on Senegal’s coat of arms – a barrel-thick trunk, fruit known as “monkey bread” and a lifespan counted in centuries.
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Photo: Forest and Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0 us · Wikimedia Commons African olive
Eritrea
- Scientific name
- Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
- Type
- tree
Why it’s here: The olive branch and wreath on Eritrea’s flag echo the flag of the 1950s and stand for peace.
Olive branch and wreath on the flag of Eritrea. The wild olive of the Eritrean flag – a symbol of peace and a tree that once covered the entire highlands around Asmara.
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Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Kapok tree
Equatorial Guinea
- Scientific name
- Ceiba pentandra
- Type
- tree
Why it’s here: The “God tree” in the centre of Equatorial Guinea’s flag and coat of arms – by tradition the witness of an agreement between local rulers and the Spanish, a symbol of unity.
The tree on the coat of arms of Equatorial Guinea (also shown on the flag). The mighty ceiba is the “God tree” on the coat of arms and flag of Equatorial Guinea – a symbol of the nation’s unity.
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Photo: Guillaume Baviere from Uppsala, Sweden · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Cuban royal palm
Haiti
- Scientific name
- Roystonea regia
- Type
- palm
Why it’s here: A royal palm topped with a Phrygian cap is the centrepiece of Haiti’s coat of arms, shown on the flag – a symbol of the independence won in 1804.
National tree of Haiti, centrepiece of the coat of arms. A slender palm topped with a cap of liberty – the central motif of the Haitian coat of arms, which appears on the national flag.
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Photo: Luisovalles · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Cacao
Ghana
- Scientific name
- Theobroma cacao
- Type
- crop
Why it’s here: The cacao tree on Ghana’s coat of arms recalls the crop that made the Gold Coast the world’s largest cocoa producer by 1911.
Cacao tree on the coat of arms of Ghana. The cacao tree on Ghana’s coat of arms – ever since Tetteh Quarshie brought its seeds in 1879, cocoa has been the nation’s pride and wealth.
