The Marquesas Islands have a diverse flora, with a high rate of endemism. They are in the floristic Polynesian subkingdom of the Oceanian realm.

Food Plants

Most of the food plants are not endemic, and include:

  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Breadfruit (mei) from which "mā" is made.
  • Cashews
  • Coconuts
  • Jambul
  • Grapefruits
  • Guavas
  • Lemons
  • Mangos
  • Pandanus
  • Papayas
  • Pineapples
  • Plantains
  • Soursops
  • Sugar apples
  • Taro (tao) from which "poke", similar to poi, is made.
  • Vanilla

Other plants

  • Frangipani
  • Hibiscus
  • Mape
  • Nono
  • Tiara

Pelagodoxa henryana, the only species in the genus Pelagodoxa, is a palm tree that is endemic to the Marquesas Islands.

See also

  • Marquesan Nature Reserves

References

  • Botany.si.edu: Flora of the Marquesas Islands website