Allamanda
The allamanda, a yellow trumpet-shaped flower, is also known as "wild unction" in the Bahamas. It has a delicate, fruity fragrance and the milky sap is poisonous.
Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea comes in many colours from white to yellow and orange, to deep pink and purple. The delicate paper-like flowers grow on thorny vines that can become very bushy and thick. They bloom all year round. Actually, the true flower of the plant is very small and usually white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by special brightly colored leaves. Sometimes bougainvillea is called the "Paper Flower" because it is so thin and papery.
Casuarina
This plant can be seen all over the bahamas usually growing alng the shoreline. It is a very fast growing tree and does well in poor or sandy soil. It has thin, needle-like leaves which cover the ground like a carpet when they fall. The casurina tree is considered an invader because it is not indigenous to the Bahamas and it inhibits other plants from growing.
Coconut Palm Tree
The coconut tree is one of the most useful plants to mankind, as it has been used for food, oil, fuel, building material and rope. Coconut trees are commonly found all over the Bahamas. Be careful not to stand right underneath a coconut tree!
Frangipani
A very sweet smelling flower, the frangipani is used mostly for decoration because it is so beautiful. The flowers are most fragrant during the night. It's milky white sap is poisonous.
Hibiscus
The hibiscus is very common in tropical regions and comes in a large variety of colours and even sizes and petal-shapes. It blooms all year round and it's flowers are edible.
Lignum Vitae
The lignum vitae is the national tree of the Bahamas. It is often called ironwood because it is one of the hardest woods in the world. It is so dense it will not float, even in seawater. It grows very slowly and some lignum vitae trees have lived as long as 1000 years.
The Royal Poinciana
When the royal poinciana blooms during the summer months it is vividly orange and strikingly beautiful! The flowers then fall to the ground and create a thick deep-orange carpet. The tree is very popular in the Bahamas because of its beauty.
Seagrape Tree
The seagrape tree has lovely waxy, round leaves and produces dark purple grapes. The fruit is sweet and makes a good jam. Since the seagrape tree prefers dry, salty soil it is often seen growing close to the ocean. It grows very well on sandy beaches.
Tamarind
The sticky, sweet, brown fruit of the tamarind tree is used very often in cooking. The fruit grows inside a hard brown shell.
Yellow Elder
Like the allamanda, the yellow elder is a yellow, trumpet-shaped flower, although it is smaller than the allamanda and grows in clusters. The yellow elder attracts many bees, butterlies and hummingbirds. It is the national flower of the Bahamas.