Flora of Colombia Facts for Kids

Colombia is an amazing country known for its incredible variety of plants! It's home to over 28,000 different kinds of green plants, making its flora (which means all the plants in a region) one of the richest in the world.

The Victoria amazonica water lily grows in the Amazon basin.

Colombia's National Flower
Colombia's National Tree
Unique Plants: Endemism
- Special Plant Regions
Trees of Colombia
Fruits of Colombia
Orchid Species
Images for kids
See also

Colombia's National Flower

Colombia's national flower is a beautiful orchid called Cattleya trianae. This special orchid was named after a Colombian scientist, José Jerónimo Triana. A botanist named Emilio Robledo chose it to represent Colombia. He thought it was one of the most beautiful flowers in the world!

Colombia's National Tree

The national tree of Colombia is a tall palm called Ceroxylon quindiuense, also known as the Quindío wax palm. It got its name from the Quindío Department in Colombia. This is where you'll find the Cocora valley, the only place where this specific palm naturally grows.

The government chose the Quindío wax palm as the national tree. It was also the first tree in Colombia to be officially protected. This palm is unique because it's the only one that grows at very high altitudes in Colombia. It's also the tallest type of plant called a monocot in the entire world!

Unique Plants: Endemism

Colombia has many types of heliconia flowers, and most are found only there.

The Baudó Mountains on Colombia's Pacific coast are home to many unique plants.

Colombia has the largest number of endemic species in the world. An endemic species is a plant or animal that is found naturally nowhere else on Earth. About 10% of all the species in the world live in Colombia!

Why does Colombia have so many unique plants? It's because of the many different places to live. Colombia has a huge variety of altitudes, weather, temperatures, soils, and sunlight. You can find plants on the coasts, in the high Andes mountains, and in the warm rainforest lowlands.

Plants that are endemic can easily become endangered (meaning they are at risk of disappearing forever) or even extinct. This is because they only live in a small area. Human activities, like bringing in new plants or animals, can also harm them.

Special Plant Regions

The Colombian Ministry of Environment has identified some areas with the most unique plant species. These "ecoregions" are:

The Colombian Amazon basin
The Catatumbo River basin
The middle Magdalena river basin
The Pacific coastal region

Trees of Colombia

Many trees in Colombia are endangered because of their valuable wood. The timber industry uses them for wood, like the Colombian oak (Quercus humboldtidiana) and Colombian mahogany. Other trees, like mangrove and Encenillo (Weinmannia tomentosa), are used to make substances for the leather industry.

Here are a few examples of tree species found in Colombia:

Pekea-nut tree (Caryocar nuciferum)

Yopo tree (Anadenanthera peregrina)

Cyrilla racemiflora

Anadenanthera peregrina
Amazon Grape
Borojoa patinoi
Caryocar nuciferum
Cyrilla racemiflora
Feijoa
Guaiacum officinale
Platonia insignis
Quararibea cordata
Trigonobalanus excelsa

Fruits of Colombia

Colombia is also famous for its delicious and exotic fruits!

Chontaduro fruit (Bactris gasipaes)
Tomato tree or tamarillo (Solanum betaceum)
Mamoncillo (Melicoccus bijugatus)
Arazá or Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum)
Uchuva or Cape gooseberry fruit (Physalis edulis)
Guanabana or Soursop fruit (Annona muricata)
Marañon or Cashew (Anacardium occidentale)
Feijoa or Pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana)
Lulo or Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense)
Curuba
Maypop (Passiflora incarnata)
Gulupa or purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis)

Orchid Species

Colombia has more orchid species than any other country in the world! These beautiful flowers come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Here are just a few examples of the many orchids you can find there: