In Costa Rica about 12.000 plant species ( that´s 4 % of the worlds known species) can be found. Diverse ecological habitats offer a living space for a wealth of plants in a small country of only 51.000 km²

Here we want to introduce you to some of them:

Plants of the rain forest:

Mahogany, Kapok tree, Balsa tree, Cecropia or cannon tree, Caoutchouc tree, Cocoa-tree

Fig-tree: The genus Ficus, with about 800 species. One of the most interesting tropical plant-families is the Moraceae. Fruits of fig-trees are food for birds and monkeys, which function as seed dispersers. A young Ficus plant lives epiphytic on trees until its roots reach the ground. As time passes, the roots get stronger and thicker and wind around the host-tree. This stops the tree´s supply of water and nutrients. Eventually, the tree is dies, and that is why the spanish calls them "matapalo" meaning "tree-killer".

Black palm, Zapotill

Tree-ferns: In Costa Rica one can find about 800 fern-species, 300 of them are tree-ferns reaching heights of up to 12m.

Window leaves

Orchids: Over 1400 species in Costa Rica, one of them, Cattleya skinerii, is the national flower. Fans of orchids and flowers in common should not miss a visit of one of Costa Ricas´ botanical gardens, like Jardin Lankester in Cartago.

Bromelias, Gunnera insignis, Heliconias, Passion flowers

The tropical dry forest

The tropical dry forest is characterized by the shedding of leaves, relatively low diversity of species and many adaptations to the aridity, like succulents. In Costa Rica you can experience the tropical dry forest in Sta.Rosa-nationalpark. This unique vegetation type is the rest of a former huge wooded area, that covered the entire pacific coast from Mexico to South-Ecuador.

Plants of the dry forest

Cashew-tree
Golden -shower-tree
Golden-trumpet-tree
Calabash-tree
Pochote
Guanacaste-tree: The national tree of Costa Rica is well adapted to the dry climate. The province Guanacaste is named after this tree.

The coastal vegetation

Along the coastal regions on both sides, Atlantic and Pacific, a salt-tolerant vegetation could establish.

Coco-palm
Sea Grape
Indian almond-tree
Manzanillo-tree

Aquatic plants

Aquatic hyacinth

Mangroves

Ornamental plants

Coral tree

Bougainvillea

Poinsettia

White angels trumpet

Hibiscus

Travelers tree

Rubber tree

Useful Plants

Anatto
Rhizinus
Teak tree
Sugar cane
Breadfruit tree
Manioc
Rice

Fruits

Pineapple
Avocado
Banana
Baumtomate
Sugar apple
Guava
Mango
Papaya
Carambola
Tamarind