FLORA

Endemic Flora

For such a small oceanic island, Mauritius has a disproportionate number of endemic species compared to its mainland counterparts. Mauritius has about 700 flowering plants, out of which about 273 are endemic. Yet majority of these plants are threatened with extinction. In fact, Mauritius is home to the rarest plant in the world, and the rarest plant in the wild! 

<12 m

Tree Height

Black Ebony

  • Common name: Mauritian Black Ebony
  • Scientific name: Diospyros tessellaria
  • Flowering and fruiting: flowers between March and June. Fruit bats love feasting on the fruits and are important seed dispersers and thus regeneration of the Black Ebony depends on fruit bats.
  • Conservation status: Vulnerable
  • Conservation actions needed: habitat restoration, invasive plant and animal removal, especially monkeys and rats.
DID YOU KNOW?

The hardwood of this species makes it one of the most valuable woods worldwide. Mauritius once had 12 endemic species of ebony, each with its own habitat preference, bark colouration, leaf and flower shape.

White Ebony

  • Common name: Bois Ebène blanc
  • Scientific name: Diospyros egrettarum
  • Flowering and fruiting: Flowers between March and June. Fruit bats and endemic reptiles love feasting on the fruits and are important seed dispersers.
  • Conservation status: Critically Endangered
  • Conservation actions needed: habitat restoration, mainland propagation.

<10 m

Tree Height
DID YOU KNOW?

The hardwood of this species makes it one of the most valuable woods worldwide. Lichens and mosses on the bark gives a white colour of this ebony tree. Once a dominant component of coastal forests, it was so overexploited that the last viable population remained on Île aux Aigrettes.

<3 m

Tree Height

The Mandrinette Genève

  • Common name: Mandrinette Genève
  • Scientific name: Hibiscus genevii
  • Conservation status: Critically Endangered
  • Conservation actions needed: habitat restoration
DID YOU KNOW?

This plant is intelligent. It is heterophyllous, meaning that when it is small, the leaves look completely different from leaves of an adult tree.

The Liane Rousseau

  • Common name: Liane Rousseau
  • Scientific name: Roussea simplex
  • Flowering and fruiting: flowers and fruits between September and January. Flowers are protandrous, meaning, they start their life with a male phase lasting for 2-4 days, followed by a transitional phase lasting for 2-3 days and a female phase ending after 3-4 days.
  • Conservation status: Critically Endangered
  • Conservation actions needed: rapid habitat restoration, removal of invasive plants and animals such as rats and monkeys, propagation from Kew Garden, augmentation of pollinators.

<3 m

Tree Height
DID YOU KNOW?

This plant is special. Not only is the species endemic to Mauritius, but the genus is endemic to Mauritius as well, and its pollination is world famous. Its sole pollinator and seed disperser is the endemic blue-tailed gecko (Phelsuma cepediana). Further studies have revealed another potentially better pollinator candidate in the endemic Mauritius Bulbul (Hysipetes olivaceus).

<20 m

Tree Height

The Makak Tree

  • Common name: Makak
  • Scientific name: Mimusops maxima
  • Flowering and fruiting: November – February
  • Conservation status: Vulnerable
  • Conservation actions needed: habitat restoration, removal of invasive plants and animals such as rats and monkeys.
DID YOU KNOW?

The Makak is a tall component of the native wet forest remnants. Fruits love eating its fruits and are thus important seed dispersers.

The Ruizia

  • Common name: Trochetia or Boucle D’Oreille
  • Scientific name: Ruizia mauritiana
  • Flowering and fruiting: June – October. Flowers are mainly pollinated by endemic Phelsuma geckos.
  • Conservation status: Critically Endangered
  • Conservation actions needed: habitat restoration, removal of invasive plants and animals such as rats and monkeys.

<4 m

Tree Height
DID YOU KNOW?

The Trochetia (now Ruizia) is our national flower. The common name (Boucle D’Oreille) means earring because of the shape of its flowers. The only wild population is known from Morne Brabant.

Exotic flora

Invasive alien species are major drivers of habitat degradation, particularly on islands. For example, in Mauritius, the mechanisms by which invasive plants may affect native plants include direct competition, interference with plant–animal interactions, alteration of habitats, and hybridization. Invasive plants are known to substantially reduce flower, fruit and seed production of our native forests. Habitat restoration by controlling alien plants can thus increase growth rate, flowering and fruiting of native trees, leading to increased native tree regeneration and species richness. Native habitat restoration is thus expected to improve foraging habitat quality for native frugivores, thereby providing easier access to food resources within native habitats. This would in turn reduce damage on commercial fruit trees by fruit bats.

Chinese Guava

  • Common name: Chinese guava
  • Scientific name: Psidium cattleianum
  • Year of introduction: 1763
  • Reason for introduction: Chinese guavas were introduced for purpose or botanical gardens and ‘local raspberries’
  • Impact:
    • Suffocates native plants
    • Competes and kills native trees
    • Competes for light, space and nutrient
DID YOU KNOW?

Chinese guava is not from China. The species is actually native to Brazil!

Liane Cerf

  • Common name: Liane cerf
  • Scientific name: Hiptage benghalensis
  • Year of introduction: 1785
  • Reason for introduction: Liane cerf was introduced as part of the botanical garden collection
  • Impact:
    • Suffocates native plants
    • Chokes and kills native canopy trees
    • Smothers native forest remnants
DID YOU KNOW?

All the individual trees of Liane cerf in Mauritius, Reunion and Hawaii have the same genetic material. They are all a single clone from the original brought about 200 years ago at Pamplemousses Garden in Mauritius.

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