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🇧🇷 The flowers of Brazil

78 pages from Brazil: its flowers, the things made with them and the places to see them, across 21 cities and regions.

Brazil is home to more plant species than any other country, with about 55,000 recorded kinds and a third found nowhere else. Its vast area includes the Amazon rainforest, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado savanna, Pantanal wetlands, and more. Orchids, the pau-brasil tree, and many edible fruits are especially notable in its flora.

The plant life of Brazil

Brazil’s plant life is unmatched in its diversity, with around 55,000 known species and about 30% of them unique to the country. The landscape ranges from dense rainforests and moist Atlantic woodlands to open savannas and wetlands. The Amazon, which covers much of Brazil, is a major center of global plant diversity. The Atlantic Forest and Cerrado also support a rich mix of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Wetlands like the Pantanal add even more variety. This range of habitats makes Brazil the world’s richest country for flowering plants.

From region to region in Brazil

Plant life in Brazil shifts with the land. The Amazon rainforest is dense and humid, filled with towering trees and countless undergrowth species. The Atlantic Forest, though much reduced, mixes moist and dry forests and even mangroves along the coast. The Cerrado is a savanna with a great variety of grasses, shrubs, and wildflowers. The Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, supports thousands of plant species. In the far north, nutrient-poor soils on tepui plateaus allow unusual carnivorous plants to thrive.

Flowers to know in Brazil

Among Brazil’s best-known plants is the pau-brasil, or brazilwood, once common along the Atlantic coast and the source of the country’s name. Overharvesting for its red dye nearly wiped it out. Orchids are found throughout the country, with hundreds of species from groups like Cattleya and Laelia. Monte Roraima, on the border with Venezuela, is famous for its insect-eating plants adapted to poor soils. Brazil also leads the world in native edible fruit species.

Threats and protection in Brazil

Brazil’s forests are under severe threat from logging, agriculture, and biofuel production. More than a fifth of the Amazon and almost all of the Atlantic Forest have been cleared, putting many plant species at risk. Conservation areas protect some forests, but habitat loss continues. The pau-brasil tree is a symbol of these threats, having been pushed close to extinction by overuse. Ongoing deforestation and expansion of crops like sugarcane for ethanol remain major challenges.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Wildlife of Brazil", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Flower experiences in Brazil

All 5
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro · All yearThe Jardim Botânico of Rio de JaneiroA botanic garden founded in 1808 at the foot of Corcovado, with an avenue of royal palms, an orchid house and giant waterlilies. 🇧🇷 Curitiba · All yearThe glasshouse and parterres of Curitiba's botanical gardenThe postcard view of Curitiba: a white metal and glass greenhouse above French-style flower beds and fountains. 🇧🇷 São Paulo · All yearThe CEAGESP flower fair in São PauloTwice a week before dawn, a hall of São Paulo's giant wholesale market fills with flowers and plants from across the state. 🇧🇷 Brasília · Jun to SepThe ipê trees of Brasília in the dry seasonIn the dry months, leafless ipê trees across Brasília flower in turn: pink and purple, then yellow, then white. 🇧🇷 Holambra · Aug to SepHolambra, Brazil's flower town, and its ExpofloraA small town founded by Dutch settlers that grows a large share of Brazil's flowers and holds a big flower fair each spring.

Cities and regions of Brazil

Paraná 2Rio Grande do Sul 2São Paulo 2Alagoas 1Alto Paraíso de Goiás 1Benevides 1Brasília 1Brumadinho 1Cavalcante 1Ceará 1Curitiba 1Distrito Federal 1Jardim Botânico 1Minas Gerais 1Pernambuco 1Porto Alegre 1Rio de Janeiro 1Santa Catarina 1Santo Antônio do Itambé 1Sergipe 1Serra do Rio do Rastro 1
ShowFlowersDecorationsPlaces
ColourRedPinkOrangeYellowWhiteCreamBluePurpleGreenMaroonMany-coloured
KindWildflowerGarden flowerCut flowerFlowering treeFlowering shrubBulb flowerClimberOrchidWater flowerCactus or succulentAlpine flowerTropical flowerHerb or useful flower
In flowerSpringSummerMonsoonAutumnWinter
CactusCactaceae Succulent plants with spines, native to the Americas 🇲🇽 Mexico and 7 more · Wildflower Eucalyptus The tall, aromatic trees and shrubs known as gum trees or eucalypts 🇦🇺 Australia and 7 more · Flowering tree AmaranthAmaranthus A tall, colourful plant grown for its flowers, leaves and edible seeds 🇲🇽 Mexico and 7 more · Wildflower Sensitive PlantMimosa pudica A touch-sensitive plant whose leaves fold up when disturbed 🇧🇷 Brazil and 8 more · Wildflower Passion fruitPassiflora edulis A tropical vine grown for its sweet-sour, aromatic fruit 🇧🇷 Brazil and 6 more · Climber LupinLupinus Tall, spiky-flowered legumes grown for gardens, food, and soil health 🇺🇸 United States and 7 more · Wildflower BromeliadsBromeliaceae A family of tropical flowering plants from the Americas, including the pineapple 🇨🇱 Chile and 7 more · Wildflower PassionflowerPassiflora A vine with intricate flowers and edible fruits, grown worldwide 🇺🇸 United States and 7 more · Wildflower AchioteBixa orellana Shrub with spiky red pods, source of the natural dye annatto 🇧🇷 Brazil and 9 more · Flowering shrub LantanaLantana camara A colourful shrub with clusters of small, changing flowers 🇧🇷 Brazil and 9 more · Flowering shrub Arabian coffeeCoffea arabica The white-flowered shrub whose beans make most of the world’s coffee 🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 4 more · Wildflower Echinopsis South American cacti with large, showy flowers and spiny stems 🇦🇷 Argentina and 6 more · Wildflower VanillaVanilla planifolia The climbing orchid behind most of the world’s vanilla flavour 🇲🇽 Mexico and 8 more · Wildflower Mandevilla A tropical vine with large trumpet-shaped blooms in vivid colours 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 more · Climber Ixora Tropical evergreen shrubs with clusters of small, bright flowers 🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Garden flower Yellow oleanderCascabela thevetia A tropical shrub with funnel-shaped yellow flowers and toxic seeds 🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 more · Flowering shrub Pride of BarbadosCaesalpinia pulcherrima A showy shrub with red, orange, and yellow flowers grown in warm gardens worldwide 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 more · Flowering shrub Schlumbergera A forest cactus with jointed stems and bright flowers, grown as a holiday houseplant 🇧🇷 Brazil · Wildflower Common GorseUlex europaeus A tough, spiny yellow-flowered shrub of Western Europe 🇳🇿 New Zealand and 6 more · Flowering shrub Winter jasmineJasminum nudiflorum A yellow-flowered shrub that blooms in winter and early spring 🇨🇳 China and 3 more · Flowering shrub Cockspur Coral TreeErythrina crista-galli A red-flowered tree, national symbol of Argentina and Uruguay 🇦🇷 Argentina and 4 more · Flowering tree Golden trumpet treeHandroanthus chrysotrichus A Brazilian tree with golden-yellow trumpet-shaped spring flowers 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 more · Flowering tree Indian coral treeErythrina variegata A thorny tree with scarlet flowers, grown across Asia and the Pacific 🇧🇷 Brazil and 7 more · Flowering tree Masdevallia A large group of cool-growing orchids from the high Andes 🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 more · Wildflower Rhodophiala Bulbous South American plants once known as Rhodophiala or añañuca 🇨🇱 Chile and 2 more · Wildflower Golden trumpet treeHandroanthus albus A yellow-flowered tree and national plant of Brazil 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 more · Flowering tree Pink trumpet treeHandroanthus impetiginosus A tall South American tree with pink trumpet-shaped flowers 🇵🇾 Paraguay and 4 more · Flowering tree Purple glory treePleroma granulosum A tropical tree with purple flowers from Brazil and Bolivia 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 more · Flowering tree Miltonia Medium-large Brazilian orchids with showy, long-lasting flowers 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 more · Orchid Amazon water-lilyVictoria amazonica The enormous floating lily of the Amazon, with leaves up to 3 metres wide 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 more · Water flower Scarlet sageSalvia splendens A bright bedding plant with spikes of red, white, or purple flowers 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 more · Garden flower AzaleaRhododendron Shade-loving flowering shrubs with spring blooms and thousands of cultivated forms 🇺🇸 United States and 4 more · Flowering shrub Rose mossPortulaca grandiflora A low, colourful succulent with bright flowers for sunny gardens and containers 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 more · Garden flower Epidendrum secundum A South American orchid with dense clusters of colorful flowers 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 more · Wildflower Handroanthus Showy-flowered trees from Central and South America, valued for timber and ornament 🇧🇷 Brazil and 7 more · Flowering tree Royal poincianaDelonix regia A tropical tree with bright red-orange flowers and fern-like leaves 🇲🇬 Madagascar and 8 more · Flowering tree Urn plantAechmea fasciata A pink-bracted bromeliad from Brazil, grown for its striking rosette and blue flowers 🇧🇷 Brazil · Wildflower Parakeet flowerHeliconia psittacorum A tropical plant with upright red and yellow flowers 🇧🇷 Brazil and 6 more · Wildflower Large white petuniaPetunia axillaris The only white-flowered petunia, native to southern South America 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 more · Wildflower Sinningia Tuberous flowering plants from Central and South America, grown for their bright blooms 🇧🇷 Brazil · Wildflower Catasetum A genus of unusual, showy epiphytic orchids from the Americas 🇧🇷 Brazil and 7 more · Wildflower Tabebuia Tropical trees and shrubs grown for their large, showy blossoms 🇨🇺 Cuba and 5 more · Flowering tree Stanhopea Fragrant, short-lived orchids from Central and South America 🇲🇽 Mexico and 7 more · Wildflower Purpletop vervainVerbena bonariensis A tall South American perennial with clusters of purple flowers 🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Wildflower Amazon waterlilyNymphaea amazonum A night-blooming waterlily from Mexico to tropical South America 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 more · Wildflower Calathea Tropical houseplant with striking patterned leaves and folding foliage 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 more · Wildflower Heliconia bihai A tall tropical plant with upright, water-holding flowers 🇧🇷 Brazil and 5 more · Wildflower Yellow lapachoHandroanthus serratifolius Brazil’s national flower, a tall tree with bright yellow blooms 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 more · Flowering tree
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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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