Native Plants Volume 3: Endemic Flowers
What is an Endemic Species?
An Endemic species are species that are only found in one specific geographical area (e.g.: country, island, region etc.) and not naturally found anywhere else on earth.
Bahama Passion Flower Passiflora bahamensis
The Bahama Passion Flower is The Bahamas’ very own passionfruit. Like traditional Passionfruit, this plant is a vine that produces a beautiful, ornate flower. The flower is white with purple threadlike outgrowths and very distinct. The Bahama Passion Flower produces a fruit that is bright red and edible when mature (Fun fact: passionfruit is a berry). Bahama passion flower grows in the Pine forests and Sabal Palm forests in Grand Bahama, Abaco, Andros & New Providence. This plant is endemic to the Lucayan Archipelago, which includes the islands of The Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands.
2. Inagua Frangipani - Plumeria bahamensis
Inagua’s very own Frangipani grows as a thin shrub. This local shrub can grow up to 26 feet tall and has a whitish gray or red bark. It has oblong leaves that can be up to 7 inches long and 3 inches wide. Its flowers are white with a yellow center and its fruit is a follicle that turns brown when mature. When branches of this shrub are broken, they release a milky sap, similar to other plumeria species. The Inagua Frangipani can be found in dry shrublands and is endemic to the Bahamian island of Great Inagua.
3. Bahama Waltheria - Waltheria bahamensis
Bahama Waltheria is a herbaceous perennial, which means that the plant’s shoots and above ground parts die but its roots remain alive and put out new shoots annually. This plant can get up to 29 inches tall and over time its base becomes woody. Its leaves are 1.5 inches long and have a dark bronze color. The Bahama Waltheria produces a cluster of bright yellow flowers that have 5 unfused petals and its fruit is a follicle. This plant can be found growing in Pine Forests and human altered environments like roadsides, old homes and abandoned properties. Sometimes it can also be seen growing on the perimeter of whiteland coppice forests & shrublands. The Bahama Waltheria is endemic to the Lucayan Archipelago (The Bahamas & Turks and Caicos) and is commonly found on Grand Bahama, Abaco, The Berry Islands, New Providence, Eleuthera and Cat Island.
The information and photos shown here was sourced from the Bahamas National Trust’s Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve website. Visit http://levypreserve.org/ for more in depth information on plants that are found in The Bahamas.
