🇬🇦 The flowers of Gabon
28 pages from Gabon: its flowers, the things made with them and the places to see them.
Gabon is rich in flowering plants, with over 7,000 native species and a high rate of endemism. Dense tropical rainforests, grasslands, and coastal zones shape its flora. The country is notable for its many unique and newly discovered plants, such as the tree Cola lizae.
The plant life of Gabon
Gabon sits in a warm, humid part of Central Africa, where most of the land is covered by tropical rainforest. These lush forests, along with grasslands, savannas, rivers, and coastal lagoons, support a vast variety of plant life. Over 7,000 native vascular plant species have been recorded, making Gabon's flora especially rich. The high humidity and steady temperatures allow for dense vegetation and a great diversity of flowering plants. New species are still being found, showing that the country's plant life is not yet fully known.
From region to region in Gabon
The country's plant life changes with the landscape. Thick rainforests dominate much of Gabon, while grasslands and savannas appear in other areas. Along the coast, lagoons and riverbanks support different plants than the inland forests. Each region, from the low-lying coastal areas to the interior, adds to the overall diversity of Gabon's flora.
Flowers to know in Gabon
About 22% of Gabon's native plants are found nowhere else. Among the notable discoveries is Cola lizae, a tree first described in 1987. While the sources do not list specific famous flowers, the high number of endemics and ongoing discoveries highlight Gabon's importance for unique flowering plants.
Threats and protection in Gabon
Logging and poaching threaten Gabon's plant and animal life. To help protect its biodiversity, the country set aside 11% of its land in 13 national parks in 2002. These parks safeguard many rare and endemic species, including flowering plants that are still being studied and discovered.
The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Wildlife of Gabon", 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.
PomegranatePunica granatum
A shrub with bright red flowers and a fruit full of edible seeds
🇮🇷 Iran and 9 more · Flowering shrub
OleanderNerium oleander
A showy, evergreen shrub with clusters of pink, white or red flowers
🇲🇦 Morocco and 8 more · Flowering shrub
Sensitive PlantMimosa pudica
A touch-sensitive plant whose leaves fold up when disturbed
🇧🇷 Brazil and 8 more · Wildflower
Bay laurelLaurus nobilis
Evergreen tree with aromatic leaves used as bay leaf in cooking
🇬🇷 Greece and 9 more · Flowering tree
ElderSambucus nigra
A tall shrub or small tree with clusters of white flowers and dark berries
🇩🇪 Germany and 6 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
Holy basilOcimum tenuiflorum
A fragrant herb central to Hindu worship and Southeast Asian cooking
🇲🇲 Myanmar and 6 more · Herb or useful flower
Marvel of PeruMirabilis jalapa
Evening-blooming garden flower with many colours on one plant
🇲🇽 Mexico and 6 more · Garden flower
Pride of BarbadosCaesalpinia pulcherrima
A showy shrub with red, orange, and yellow flowers grown in warm gardens worldwide
🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 more · Flowering shrub
Flame lilyGloriosa superba
A striking red and yellow climbing flower, national emblem of Zimbabwe and Tamil Nadu
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe and 9 more · Wildflower
FirewheelGaillardia pulchella
A daisy-like wildflower with red, orange, and yellow petals
🇺🇸 United States and 5 more · Wildflower
Royal poincianaDelonix regia
A tropical tree with bright red-orange flowers and fern-like leaves
🇲🇬 Madagascar and 8 more · Flowering tree
Golden showerCassia fistula
A tree with long clusters of bright yellow flowers in late spring and early summer
🇮🇳 India and 6 more · Flowering tree
Great bougainvilleaBougainvillea spectabilis
A climbing plant with vivid bracts, native to South America
🇧🇷 Brazil and 7 more · Wildflower
Costus spectabilis
A bright yellow ground-hugging flower from tropical Africa
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 7 more · Wildflower
Clerodendrum splendens
A tropical African climber with vivid scarlet flower clusters
🇬🇦 Gabon · Garden flower
Gardenia
A fragrant white-flowered shrub from tropical regions worldwide
🇨🇳 China and 6 more · Flowering shrub
Globe amaranthGomphrena globosa
A round-flowered annual grown for its lasting, colorful blooms
🇬🇹 Guatemala and 4 more · Wildflower
Scarlet jungleflameIxora coccinea
A dense evergreen shrub with year-round scarlet flower clusters
🇮🇳 India and 6 more · Flowering shrub
Aztec marigoldTagetes erecta
The golden-yellow flower of Mexican altars and Day of the Dead offerings
🇲🇽 Mexico and 6 more · Wildflower
Mussaenda erythrophylla
A West African shrub with bright, colourful bracts and star-shaped flowers
🇬🇦 Gabon · Flowering shrub
Plumeria alba
A small tree with white, fragrant flowers and yellow centers
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico and 6 more · Flowering tree
Egyptian white water-lilyNymphaea lotus
A night-blooming white water-lily and the national flower of Egypt
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 more · Water flower
Love-lies-bleedingAmaranthus caudatus
Tall Andean plant with long, drooping red or white flower clusters
🇵🇪 Peru and 8 more · Wildflower
French marigoldTagetes patula
A small marigold with yellow to orange blooms, valued in gardens and Georgian cooking
🇲🇽 Mexico and 3 more · Wildflower
Bush clockvineThunbergia erecta
A tropical African shrub with velvety blue or purple flowers and yellow centers
🇬🇦 Gabon and 8 more · Garden flower
VanillaVanilla planifolia
The climbing orchid behind most of the world’s vanilla flavour
🇲🇽 Mexico and 8 more · Wildflower
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Vanilla: Everglades National Park, Public domain, source
- Gardenia: Queerbubbles, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bay laurel: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, source
- Royal poinciana: Averette, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Flame lily: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, source
- French marigold: Muhammad Mahdi Karim, GFDL 1.2, source
- Love-lies-bleeding: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Egyptian white water-lily: Meneerke bloem, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Plumeria alba: Doug, CC BY 2.0, source
- Great bougainvillea: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, source
- Scarlet jungleflame: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Elder: Willow, CC BY 2.5, source
- Pomegranate: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sensitive Plant: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Oleander: Unknown author, CC BY 2.5, source
- Aztec marigold: HitroMilanese, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Achiote: Primejyothi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Marvel of Peru: Khalid Mahmood at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Mussaenda erythrophylla: Tatiana Gerus, CC BY 2.0, source
- Holy basil: Shashidhara halady, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lantana: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pride of Barbados: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Firewheel: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Golden shower: Delonix, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bush clockvine: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Globe amaranth: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Costus spectabilis: Matilda Smith (1854–1926), Public domain, source
- Clerodendrum splendens: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, source